


Between The Pages

by paintbug



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Original Character(s), Reincarnation, Tom has a cat, these boys are working it out, writer thomas blake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:06:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22945258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintbug/pseuds/paintbug
Summary: That’s what he thought until one night dream Blake had looked up at him, breath catching as they climbed a slippery bank. It was then Tom spoke, addressing him for first time since the dreams had started.“Sco…”-Will has spent his life learning as much as he can about what he seesWhen it suddenly becomes real, will he choose to look back?
Relationships: Joseph Blake & Tom Blake, Joseph Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield
Comments: 27
Kudos: 91





	1. Look for me in the pages

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a while now and I figured it was worth using.  
> I just hope you enjoy it :)

Thomas Blake.

Will had first heard the name when his grandfather sat him down on a stormy spring afternoon. He could remember the way the wind had whistled through the letterbox down the hall, causing it to clash in time with the thunder. They were sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by the warm light that emitted from the wall lamps. 

A stark contrast from the outside world.

Will was settled beside his grandfather, his legs swinging loosely as they hung from the chair and his eyes wide with anticipation.

“This was my father’s,” the older man had told him, setting down a thick pile of paper. At first look it resembled nothing more than sheets tied together with some old packaging string, but if you got close enough to really look you could understand how special it really was. The paper was surrounded by two boards of card and on the front sat the dates 1914 – 1920. 

Together the pair worked their way through the sheets, admiring the grainy photographs that lay within them. There were images of family gatherings, children running around in the grass, and even simple shots of the countryside. 

As the book went on the images became much more structured. A group of young men in uniform, newspaper clippings and finally a picture of two men, boys even stood side by side. They differed greatly in height, and one of the pair had a dark wave of curls poking out from beneath his helmet. The tallest of the two was looking at the camera, a small respectable smile carved onto his face. However the shorter boy  
was looking up at his friend, a wide grin playing at his features. 

It was the taller man that caught Will’s attention first. 

“Hey Pop’s,” he’d started, eyes fixated on the page. “He looks like me!”

He’d watched as his grandfather leaned over to see the image in question, a knowing look in his eye. 

“That there is my Father, Will.” He’d smiled, looking from the page to Will and then back again. “His name was William too.”

“Really?!”

“Really.”

Will shifted so that he was now sat up on his knees, his socked feet beneath him as he leaned in closer. 

“I had a feeling you’d look like him.”

Will looked up, a mixture of confusion and fascination in his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

The older man had hesitated, glancing between the page and his grandson again. This time however he looked at the shorter boy in the photo. 

“Let’s just say I had a hunch,” He’d smiled, reaching out to point at the page.

“See here it says ‘William Schofield’, just like you,” He let his hand drift across the paper. “And this young man was Thomas Blake.” 

“Where are they? Are they soldiers?!” Will asked, now taking in the rest of the photograph. 

He watched as his grandfather opened his mouth to answer, his hesitance clear in his face. Just as Pop’s was about to answer the doorbell rang.

“That’ll be your Mum, c’mon I’ll tell you next time I see you.”

Will let out a groan, fidgeting on his chair to free his legs again. He took one last look at the photograph before sliding down from his seat.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Will hadn’t seen his grandfather again. He’d never been told out about his great grandfather and his friend. 

But when he reached his tenth birthday and received a thick parcel addressed to him in his grandfather’s loopy handwriting he knew he was about to find out the truth. 

Will had marched up the stairs, both arms wrapped tightly around the book with a look of determination on his face.

That night he sat up, a torch in hand as he began to study the faces once again. By then he could read, so he paid great attention to the writing within the book. There were letters hidden in envelopes that had been haphazardly stuck to the paper. There were buttons and pins taped in alongside the few telegrams and notices. The whole book was like a treasure chest, unlocking the past of William Schofield. 

Will had studied the book for weeks, looking up terms he didn’t understand and asking his parents about the first world war. At the end of it all however, he was always drawn back to that one image, the one of Blake and Schofield, standing together. 

To Will it felt familiar, as though he had seen it long before that day in the kitchen. He felt as though he could hear it. The planes flying overhead, a breeze rushing past, and most clearly, Blake’s laugh. He had seen it all before.

It was also the night of Will’s tenth birthday that the dreams started. 

The terrors of men running across thick, wet mud, shouting, as all around them other’s fell to the ground.

Will woke almost every night, though everyone was different. Some time’s he was walking along the ditches in the ground, trenches the book had called them. Other time’s he was laying in grass, the breeze pushing it against him in a ticklish manner. 

As time went on they began to happen in the day as well. Once or twice even bringing him to his knees from the shock. 

The similarity that was noticeable in every vision though, was that he never saw Schofield. He often saw Blake, sitting opposite him in the grass, or marching ahead of him in the mud, but he never saw William.

At least that’s what he thought until one night dream Blake had looked up at him, breath catching as they climbed a slippery bank. It was then Tom spoke, addressing him for first time since the dreams had started. 

“Sco…” 

-

“Sco…”

Will startled awake, the screeching tune of his alarm playing out across the room. He was glad. He knew how that dream ended; it was the same every time. It wasn’t the worst of them, but it was pretty damn bad. It left him with an itch in his hand, one he couldn’t quite scratch away. Sometimes it even hurt, and he’d find himself laying awake as the sun slowly made its way across his bedroom ceiling, just wishing for it to stop. 

Grabbing his phone with the unoffending hand, Will turned off his alarm and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He respected his mornings. They were a gateway from the dreams and gave him a moment to live as Will rather than Schofield. 

It didn’t take long for him to get ready, his mind focusing on the tasks at hand. He had a routine and he was determined to stick to it. It gave him control, and that was what he needed. Not that he didn’t have control, it was just sometimes it felt as though he couldn’t tell where Schofield ended, and he began. It was as though they were one. 

He showered and dressed, ate his breakfast and picked up the book he was reading. By the time he had settled on the couch the sun was making its presence known to the world, the light seeping in through the crack in the curtains he had hung messily across the window.

Everything seemed to be going just as planned until Will heard the tell tale sound of his letterbox. The noise rang across the room, echoing through the peaceful silence Will had built into his morning just moments before.

This wasn’t right, usually the postman didn’t arrive until Will had left for work. Getting up, he frowned, confusion filling his gut. He began to walk through the hall, his book held between his thumb and index finger. 

On the floor, just inside the door sat a small envelope. It was instantly obvious that the postman had not been involved with the delivery, for there was no address.

Will hesitated before picking it up. The teenagers around here were always up to no good, it could always be some juvenile prank of theirs. 

But there was another part of Will that had him inching towards the letter. It could be a family letter, maybe a late birthday card even. 

Giving in, he stooped down to pick it up. It felt relatively empty, too empty for a card. Perhaps a letter maybe? 

Curiosity getting the better of him, Will turned the letter over to see the other side. At first it appeared blank, but as he shifted the envelope in his hand a small scrawl of writing became clear. 

A word.

No a Name.

‘Schofield’

Will froze. It was a coincidence. Maybe a neighbour or his landlord even. It was his own last name after all.

But no one had every called him that name.

No that name belonged to someone else. Someone who was long gone, despite remaining so present. 

Will moved to open the envelope, but as he slid his finger beneath the crease he thought better of it.

This technically wasn’t addressed to him. 

A voice in the back of his head argued that it was. That he was overreacting. It was impossible for anyone else to know. How could they?

He shoved the letter into the pocket of a coat that hung beside the door and turned away. He would deal with that later, when he was more awake. 

Deciding his book was a losing battle, he let his finger fall out from between the pages. He must be dreaming this, maybe his modern life was mixing with his past one.

No, it wasn’t his past life, it was Schofield’s life. 

Will poured himself a quick cup of tea and after a few minutes decided he’d be much better off heading to work early. There he could distract himself and escape the sense of knowing that the walls of his flat seemed to produce.

Sliding on his shoes and grabbing a coat, Will opened the door and let the mild warmth of spring flood over him. 

The commute was rather relaxing compared to most days. Today he actually found himself enjoying the bustle of the tube and the dull buzz of the railway lines. Anything was better than staying in his flat for much longer. 

By the time he wandered into his office, all thoughts of the letter were pushed aside. Instead he found himself gazing at the stack of reports that sat on his desk.

Will loved his job but some mornings he wished it was more active. That he could move around, meet new people. Instead he had the same faces every day, one by one dropping off their reports for him to choose between. 

A newspaper now sat heavy in his hand, the reports he had read through just the day before now printed in thick ink for the world to see. 

Now he simply had to do it again.

The day went relatively slowly, just the way Will liked it. He took his time shifting through the papers he’d been given, sometimes highlighting sections before moving on. Emails were sent back and forth between himself and others, multiple cups of tea were made, drank, and sometimes forgotten. 

It was nearly the end of the day when Will sat back in his chair. His pen swung back and forth between his fingers as he took in his desk. He had just two reports left to read and then he could send them off before finishing up. However, just as he was moving towards the files a moment of reluctance overcame him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to finish, but the idea of going home simply made him uncomfortable. 

Tense. 

Lifting the end of his pen to sit between his teeth he picked up the next report. This one seemed different, the style of writing failed to match that of the company’s reporters, at least the ones he knew. 

Frowning, Will turned the sheets over in his hand, looking for a name. Usually with a new reporter there was a post it note, which he could only guess had been forgotten this time. Resigning himself to pages of reading before he found one, he sat back in his chair again.

The report was excellent, well written with a clear motive. It was obvious the writer was young, but Will found that refreshing, finally someone closer to his age making an impact on the news. 

Will finished the report relatively quickly, entirely absorbed in the information before him. He was so captivated that he almost forgot the missing name.

That was until he reached the very bottom of the last page, where he saw the one he least expected. 

‘By Thomas Blake’


	2. Call my name through the cherry blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will finally meets the young writer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter drove me insane but it was worth it in the end :)

It had been three days since Will had read the article. Three days since the letter had arrived, and three days since he found the person he’d been waiting for. 

Not a lot had changed. The letter still sat heavy in his coat pocket, untouched and unopened. Will continued to follow his strict routine, only now it had an increase in thought. There were moments where he found himself, frozen and contemplating what had happened. He wanted to open the envelope, he did, but something was stopping him. He had convinced himself it was spam mail, still a prank from the kids’  
downstairs. However, the one thing that stopped him every time was the fear. 

Will knew deep down that the moment he tore open the paper, everything would change. He would know far too much and what terrified him the most was losing the divide between himself and Schofield. 

Will had spent his whole life learning about the man in his dreams, but what if now he’d found him it only got worse? What if Thomas Blake wasn’t who he’d thought he was? Or worse of all, what if Thomas Blake didn’t remember anything..?

Pushing the thought aside for yet another time that morning, Will picked up his travel mug of tea and made his way out the door. It was a Friday, thank god, and that meant the sooner he handed in his edited reports the sooner he could get home. He could forget this madness for two days. 

Walking into work, Will felt lighter on his feet. He smiled at the receptionist as he picked up a copy of that morning’s paper and found himself bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited impatiently for the lift to rise. 

The day continued in a similar manner and Will found himself breezing through the papers on his desk with little frustration. 

It wasn’t until early that afternoon that a knock on the door broke through his focus. 

“Come in,” Will mumbled, not looking up from his work.

He heard the door open and two sets of feet step inside.

“Hey Will, you ready for lunch?” A woman’s voice spoke. It was Olivia, the young woman from the office next to his. “I brought the new guy along, this is Tom.”

Will hadn’t been paying a lot of attention until then, but the second he registered the name, his head shot up.

“Huh?” He’d heard exactly what she said, but he wasn’t paying attention to that just now. In front of Will’s desk stood a young man with a nervous grin. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans as he watched  
Olivia introduce himself. He was yet to look in Will’s direction, so Will just found himself staring at the side of the boy’s face. 

He didn’t need the boy to turn around to know. It was him. 

Will felt himself grow cold; despite the dull warmth his office had gathered throughout the day. They say your fight or flight response is supposed to work in situations like this, but Will found himself frozen in place. The pen in his hand was pressing angrily into his palm but he wasn’t sure when he’d tightened his grip on it. Not that it mattered, for in that moment the pen was the only thing connecting him to the  
moment. 

“I said, this is Tom,” Olivia repeated. “Tom, this is Will.”

With this introduction, Tom turned to face Will, his smile widening briefly. 

It was obvious the younger man had words planned but the moment he’d glanced in Will’s direction they were forgotten.

Will could only look back, mouth hanging open ever so slightly.

This was the man he’d dreamt about every night. The man he’d gone on the mission with. The man he’d seen – 

Will shook his head as though the action could physically remove his train of thought. 

“Hi.” Will started, internally wincing at how unintentionally loud he’d spoken. “Hi,” he repeated, much calmer this time. He stood up, leaning over to offer the young man a hand, “Will.”

“I know,” Tom smiled, shaking Will’s hand. 

Will’s mind instantly drove to a halt, trying to decipher what that meant. 

“Olivia said,” Tom laughed, and Will felt his heart rate start to slow.

“Oh, yeah,” He laughed too, the sound pained. 

A cough broke the pair out of their moment and they both looked up to see a confused Olivia. “If you two are done, we were going to get some lunch?” She prompted, nodding in the direction of the door. 

“Yep,” Will nodded quickly, starting to gather his papers together. “Where were you thinking?” he asked deliberately not looking at Tom. 

“The new café on the corner sound good?” Olivia asked, glancing between the two men. “Will’s been banging on about it for weeks.”

“Hey! I have not!” Will huffed, sliding his arm into his coat. 

“Yeah, right,” Olivia laughed at him, rolling her eyes. “Sound good Tom?” 

The younger boy looked up, clearly only now registering the conversation. “Oh yeah, yeah sounds good,” He hummed. A smile slowly found its way back onto his face as he nodded. 

Will could only smile back as he zipped up his coat.

-

Lunch was fairly uneventful. The café proved to be the perfect place as everyone was able to find something they liked. 

As the afternoon went on, Will found himself watching the pair in front of him.

“So how do the photocopiers work?” Tom was asking Olivia. It was a simple question but to Will it meant everything. It gave him the chance to take note of how Tom’s eyebrows pulled together with much less worry than his past self. The way his tongue poked out between his teeth when he laughed and how he fiddled with a napkin as he listened.

“You can’t do any worse than Will, on his first day he broke the big one,” Olivia giggled, raising an eyebrow at the older man.

“No,” Will’s voice was firm, but a smirk was pulling at the corner of his mouth all the same. “Don’t.. it was an accident.”

Olivia simply stuck her tongue out, turning her attention back to Tom. “So I’m in my office and I hear this shout.”

“Liv, please don’t,” Will groaned playfully, propping his head up on his elbow.

“Please do,” Tom laughed, now much more relaxed within the group. 

Olivia shot Will yet another teasing look before continuing. “So I head outside to see what’s going on, and Will’s stood there with ink all over his shirt- “

“My white shirt as well,” Will cuts in.

This only makes Tom laugh again, now with a cheeky grin.

“And the most terrified look on his face,” Olivia finishes with an amused look across the table. She sits back in her chair, twisting a coffee stirrer between her fingers. “He never told me how it happened either.”

Tom turned to Will this time, raising an eyebrow. “Care to share?” He asked, a teasing tone in his voice. 

“Not particularly, no,” Will smirked, looking between the pair in front of him. 

It only took a moment of Tom staring him down for Will to give in. “I was trying to replace the ink and I managed to bugger up the cartridge,” He explained quietly with a shrug.

Tom huffed out an unimpressed laugh, throwing his napkin onto the table. “Was expecting somethin’ a little better than that if I’m honest.”

“What do you mean,” Will asked, picking up his mug of tea. “It was very traumatic,” 

“Tom’s right, Will,” Olivia piped up. “That was boring!”

Will could only roll his eyes, hiding his amused smile behind his mug. “Well I’m sorry my struggles aren’t dramatic enough for you.”

After that the trio sat for a while, making small talk and discussing life in general.

Will learned that Tom was new to the city, and this was his first career driven job. 

Nodding along with the conversation, Will turned his focus on the muffin in front of him. He always hated talking about his personal life. He had his routine, and that was enough. Not a lot to share.

Of course it wasn’t long before the conversation was turned on him.

“What about you Will?” Tom asked, looking across the table.

Will wasn’t too worried though, he was prepared for this. “Not a lot to say if I’m honest, I work, I read, I sleep,” he laughed softly, feeling Olivia’s gaze on him. He shot her a glance, daring her to say something, and when she didn’t the conversation continued on.

-

The walk back to the office gave Will the chance to reflect on the afternoon. 

It hadn’t turned out as catastrophic as he’d anticipated. In fact he’d quite enjoyed the extra company. Throughout their outing, Will had taken as many opportunities to highlight where Tom differed from Blake. 

Tom was much more casual, maybe even a little more care-free. He held himself differently, but then again wouldn’t anyone if they weren’t coated in mud and uniform. 

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he’d tried, Will hadn’t been able to stop himself from seeing the similarities. They had the same laugh, same smile, and worst of all the same expression of disappointment. 

Will hadn’t noticed the last one until they were already heading back. Tom had asked Will yet again about himself, the kind of question he hated. Of course, without thinking Will had shrugged him off, avoiding the topic all together. 

But then he’d looked back to see Tom hesitating along the path, Olivia slowing her pace to look between them. The sudden change in mood had obviously thrown Tom, but what unnerved Will was the look on his face. It was the same one from his dreams, the face Blake had made when they first encountered the fallen cherry trees. 

Will was still walking ahead of the others, his head down as he sped towards their building. He knew he was being stupid. It was his own fault Tom was upset. Like it was his own fault Blake had met his fate the way he did. If he had just listened to his gut. If he had just shot the pilot there and then, everything would be fine. 

A sharp pain suddenly erupted across his left hand and Will found himself missing a step against the pavement. He hesitated, blinking quickly to clear his head. 

“Will?” 

He could hear Olivia’s voice faintly from behind, but he ignored her in favour of pulling his hand out of his pocket. With it came the worn envelope that had been heavy in Will’s mind for the past few days. He paid it no attention as it fell to the floor. Instead he froze, flexing his hand to try and alleviate some of the pain. It worked a little and that was enough for now. 

“Hey, what’s-” Olivia was closer now, touching his elbow. 

Flinching at the contact, Will ducked his head and began walking again. He slid his hand back into his pocket and made a mental note to apologise later.

He heard Olivia calling after him, followed by another voice. Will could vaguely understand her talking to him, hurrying along by his side. This only made him feel worse, the words jumbling together the second they met his ears. He couldn’t focus. All Will could think about was those stupid trees and those stupid dreams and those stupid -. 

A voice suddenly broke through, mixing with the muffled thrumming of his heart in his ears. 

“Mate you dropped something,” It was Tom’s voice. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know what it was. Will could feel the emptiness in his pocket, tormenting him but at the same time bringing him relief. He wouldn’t have to read it if he didn’t have it. 

He kept walking, his head down and his breath catching in his throat. The dull stinging sensation was still biting at his palm, so he fisted up his hand in a helpless attempt to stop it. The pain was radiating across his whole hand by now and a blunt and heavy pain in his head was beginning to accompany it, the ache pulsing in time with his erratic heartbeat. 

Will knew he had to keep moving, he wasn’t going to let this happen now. Not in front of Tom. 

With one last call from Olivia the pair seemed to give up, letting Will hurry off into a world of his own. He should have been relieved, but it seemed as though the second Will walked away the noise could only get louder. 

He stumbled into his office, ignoring the concerned looks as he passed his co-workers and fell into his chair. Will was grateful for the seat, knowing if he’d waited any longer his legs would have given way. 

Reaching his good hand up to fist into his hair, Will shut his eyes and let the moment consume him. 

-

It was the cherry trees again. Of course it was.

Will found himself strolling towards the stone wall, the same one he’d seen a hundred times before. Only this time he was much more conscious of the footsteps behind him, they were heavy and moving in a smooth rhythm, as though their owner was dancing towards him. 

A glance over his shoulder only proved what he already knew, they were Tom’s. No Blake’s. They belonged to Blake. 

The memory continued as it always did. The trees. Then the house, the milk and the plane. Followed by the pilot and the water. Finally it was the picture, the note and the trees again. Always the trees. 

Will was sure this memory was the worst of them all, the one that left him numb yet feeling everything at once.

-

When it was over, Will had to sit for a moment, consumed entirely by Scofield’s grief for his friend. It was overwhelming, but at the same time Will was grateful for the feeling. 

Will spent that evening working through his routine as always, though this time he let himself hesitate to take it in. He took note of how the steam rose from the kettle, and how the plant moved with the breeze from the window. He took note of how the air filled his lungs before slowly escaping them again.

He took note of how alive he was. How he had the power to control his evening, to make it better. 

Will was able to avoid all thought of his new co-worker over the weekend and by Sunday night he’d almost convinced himself the lunch date was yet another strange dream.

That was until he received his pile of reports on Monday morning and the top sheet had a bright pink post it note stuck to it.

‘Did he make it?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Find me on tumblr @datfilmnerd


	3. Read my thoughts in a letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will returns Tom's note and they talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter.  
> Sorry updates are a little slow I'm working a lot atm but I'm hoping to get more out soon!

‘Did he make it?’

The post it note had been on Wills mind for weeks. He was trying to ignore it but at the same time it was all he could think about it. He’d stuck it on the fridge and every time he opened it the question fluttered before his face, tormenting him. 

He hadn’t slept a lot. The thought of Schofield’s journey had summoned the worst of the memories. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes those dreadful 24 hours played out in front of him. In the past two weeks he had found the Devon’s, drifted through the river, and he had seen Blake die. Over and over again. Every time he woke in a cold sweat, as though he had truly submerged himself in the waves. 

He also hadn’t seen Tom since the note had appeared on his desk. It wasn’t that Will was deliberately avoiding him, but he found it easier to just keep his head down. Will was aware of Olivia and Tom heading out for lunch most days, Olivia had invited him the first few times, but he’d always turned the offer down. Tom had never come in with her, he would have found it strange if he wasn’t so grateful for the space. 

So Will found himself working through the days, his routine once again giving him the structure and control he needed. 

The only change was the note.

It wasn’t until Spring had well and truly arrived that Will decided the note wasn’t enough. Something had to give, and it clearly wasn’t going to be Tom.

The note had been on the floor when Will had risen for the day, however instead of sticking it back beside his fridge magnets, he found himself sliding it into his pocket. 

Will continued with his usual routine and eventually made it onto the tube for his commute to work. He felt restless. His leg was bouncing against the floor of the train, earning him an annoyed glare from the woman sat opposite.

Deciding it was about time, Will reached into his pocket and pulled out the note. He hadn’t had a plan up until now, but without hesitance he pulled out a pen and scribbled a note onto the paper beneath the original message.

‘Coffee – 1.30?’

With that, Will put the note back into his pocket, out of sight and out of mind for the rest of the journey.

Upon arriving at work though, Will found himself hesitating. The note suddenly grating again his thigh when he walked. He quietly went about his routine, picking up a newspaper and smiling warily at the receptionist.

He would go to Tom’s office first, get it over with. Maybe if he was lucky the younger man would be starting late. 

With that thought the lift doors sprung open and Will realised he had no idea where Tom’s office was. 

There was a corridor of doors just down from his own. It was a hallway Will had yet to venture down, but surely it would hold the room he needed. Right?

With a sigh, Will began to walk down the hall. His shoes were catching as he hurried across the carpeted floor, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Thinking about it there was a sense of irony surrounding the situation.

Different message. Different place. Different Blake. 

Same day. 

There were three doors after Will’s office, all with name cards on them. 

Of course the very last one was Tom’s. 

Pausing outside, Will let his eyes trace across the temporary name card. Tom would surely get a new one soon, but the cardboard label suited him. Will preferred it. 

He knew he had to knock sooner or later; Tom would notice him through the door otherwise. Will just needed a moment longer. Another second to breathe before – 

“Hey Will, you alright mate?” 

Shit.

Closing his eyes briefly, Will began to turn on his heel to face the voice. 

“Yeah,” he smiled; eyes now open to see Tom in front of him. “Sorry I was just – “

“You wanna come in?” Tom asked, his brows pulling together as he quite obviously looked Will up and down. “You look a bit uh – worn out,” he laughed softly, moving past the older man to open his office door. 

Will was frozen on the spot. Did he follow? This wasn’t part of the plan. The plan was to leave the note and run. No walk away in a dignified manner. He wasn’t going to run. 

“I was actually just returning this,” He said after a moment, willing his voice to remain firm. With an unfortunately shaky hand, Will held out the sticky note. 

He didn’t look up from the pink square, so he missed the look of surprise on Tom’s face as he took the note.

There was a moment of silence as the younger man read and took notice of the message. It wasn’t awkward though, for which Will knows he’ll be eternally grateful. 

The sound of Tom clearing his throat pulled him out of his stupor, making Will finally look up.

“Yeah, I’m free,” He said, a soft smile on his face. “Do you want me to come grab you around then?”

Will found himself returning the smile, nodding gently. “Sure,” he answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“You sure you don’t want to come in?” Tom asked, sticking the note to his finger. A slight look of concern was painted across his features and Will wasn’t sure whether he was grateful for it or unsettled by it. 

“No, no I should get on with work.”

“Okay, I’ll uh see ya later?” 

A nod. That Will could do. “Yeah see you later.” 

With one last tight smile Will turned to walk back towards his own office, the warmth of Tom’s gaze following behind him. 

-

It took forever for 1.30 to come around, and by the time it did Will was nearly bouncing out of his seat in anticipation. 

What was he doing? He couldn’t do this. It wasn’t his story to share. 

He had just begun to consider calling off the trip all together when a knock sounded from his door and it began to creep open.

“You ready?” 

Will looked up to see Tom, leaning against the door frame in his jacket. “Yep, just coming,” He shot Tom what he hoped was a reassuring smile and began to gather his things together. 

“I was thinking the shop down the road again? You know from that day with Olivia,” Will started as he pulled his jacket over his shoulders. “Unless you fancy something else? I don’t mind whatever so if you-”

“Will,” Tom chuckled, shaking his head. “The coffee shop sounds great.”

Will stopped, nodding to himself. With a little effort he slowed his movement and picked up his wallet. “Okay, cool.” 

Feeling like he could breathe a little easier, Will shouldered his bag and made his way towards Tom. “Let’s go.”

They didn’t approach the topic at first, simply making small talk as they ordered and found a seat. 

It wasn’t until they had both settled that Tom mentioned the elephant in the room.

“So uh-” He coughed, clearing his throat. “How are you doing…y’know considering today?” Tom asked. It was a simple question filled with warmth but to Will it still felt like the hardest of requests. 

He’d never had anyone know the significance of the date, let alone have someone who might understand.

“Okay, I guess,” Will shrugged, glancing down into his drink. “What about you?” 

He watched from the corner of his eye as Tom shrugged, his eyes never leaving Will. “It’s.. hard. Kinda feels like I lose part of myself every time.” 

“Blake.” It wasn’t a question and Will wasn’t sure what made him say it, but he felt it was important. After all, Tom knew. 

“Yeah…”

The pair grew silent for another moment with only the sound of Will blowing on his tea. 

It was Will that spoke up next, surprising both of them “When did you start remembering?” He asked, finally looking up at the man in front of him.

He watched as Tom considered the question, his fingers tapping on the side of his mug. “I think I was about six? Maybe seven.” 

Will only nodded, waiting to see if Tom would continue on.

“It was pretty small at first, just memories of this older boy, and a woman.” 

“Joe?” 

“Yeah,” Tom smiled softly, almost as though the memory where his own. “it was pretty simple stuff, you know? Playing outside, just being kids.”

That made Will smile, an image of Schofield’s family coming to mind. 

“A lot of the time we were in an orchard, picking cherries,” Tom was going to laugh but stopped when Will stiffened.

He didn’t push the older man, simply waited for Will to voice his own experience. 

“Blake mentioned the cherry trees,” Will finally murmured, smiling sadly to himself. “And Joe, he was always talking about his brother.” 

Tom watched Will, his fascination showing clearly on his face. “Yeah?”  
Will only nodded, chewing at his lip. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Will sipping at his tea while Tom broke apart his muffin with a fork.

It was obvious Tom had many questions, but Will wasn’t sure he was ready to answer them. Not yet. 

Maybe one day though. Maybe one day they could open up completely. They could talk about everything and maybe even understand it. 

Right now however, that time felt forever away.

Will did have one question; one he didn’t mind talking about. 

“Do you have a brother?” he asked quietly.

Tom looked up from his muffin, clearly not expecting Will to speak.

“Who? Joe?”

Will nodded, moving his hands so that they hugged his mug. “I guess so, yeah?”

Tom shrugged, his head falling to one side as he thought about it. “I have a Joe,” He giggled gently at his phrase of choice. “But he doesn’t remember anything, at least I don’t think he does.” 

Will found himself smiling, properly this time. The sound of Tom’s giggle reminded him of those few joyful memories with Blake, the ones he could understand. When they would sit beneath those god forsaken trees and talk about everything and anything. Myrtle was often Blake’s favourite, followed closely by his mother’s cooking. The grin on Blake’s faced matched the one Tom had worn the first time they met.

It made sense now.

This is what Tom had wanted, needed even.

That lunch date had been his chance to make sure. To understand if Will was who he thought he was. To know if his letter had been delivered to the right person…

The letter.

“Tom?” Will hummed, twisting his mug between his hands. “Do you still have that letter I dropped?”

Tom nodded, rustling through his bag to pull out a folded envelope. “This one?”

“Yeah… can I read it?” Will asked, nerves evident in his voice. 

Tom tossed him the envelope, a lopsided smirk on his face. “Go for it.”

Will caught the paper easily, opening it without a moment’s hesitance. “You wrote it?” he asked as he pulled it out.

“No the Queen did,” Tom rolled his eyes, “Of course I did you nitwit.”

Laughing softly, Will shrugged at Tom’s antics and finally opened the letter up. 

Dear William Schofield,

I really hope I’ve found the right person. 

My name is Thomas Blake, and I’m writing this letter because I think we have some importance to one another. My great grandfather fought in WWI, alongside another man with your name.

I know a lot about the war, and I have a feeling you do too. The point of this letter is to ask if you can help me learn more. I need to understand what it all means, and I know you’re the only one who can do that for me.

Please call me if you think you can help. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,  
Tom 

At the bottom of the letter sat a mobile number, which Will could only guess what Tom’s. Pulling his bottom lip between his teeth Will let his gaze dance over the paper again. 

So it had been what Will was expecting, he was glad he had waited to read it. He felt ready now.

He looked up, smiling awkwardly at Tom. “I- you wrote this?”

Tom only rolled his eyes again. “Yes, we’ve been over this,” he chuckled nervously, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. 

“I know, sorry it’s just so…”

“Strange?” Tom offered. 

“yeah.”

Tom shuffled in his seat, nodding at the letter Will had just dropped onto the table. “Well I’m glad you’ve read it now, feels like we’re both on the same page.” 

“Yeah,” Will smiled, his brain only capable of producing that one word. 

Tom leant back in his chair, humming softly in thought. “So… where do we go from here then?”

Will shrugged, unsure. He wanted to learn more, but every time he did it got harder to cope. The memories became more graphic, the emotions more real. Every new piece of information connected him and Schofield that little bit more. 

He wasn’t sure what he’d do if they went too far. He’d spent his whole life ignoring the truth and Will knew he’d never find right time to confront it.

Tom was offering just that… A chance to take control. The one thing Will craved. 

“How about we do this again?” Will murmured. “We could start slow? Talk it out?”

Clearly that was the right thing to say, that is if the grin that spread across Tom’s face was anything to go by. 

“Sounds perfect,” Tom said, crossing his arms against his chest and looking across the table at Will.

“Perfect.”


	4. Tell me your worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Tom have an important conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> This is the shortest chapter of the fic so far, but I think it might be my favourite :)

Five.

That was how many days in a row Tom and Will had met for coffee. Though it wasn’t always coffee, much to Will’s displeasure, Tom liked change. If something was the same for more than two days it had to be altered in some way. So far they had been to the coffee shop, three café’s and one pizzeria. It was a cute little restaurant, nothing branded or too flashy. Like Tom, it was pleasant, welcoming and enjoyable.  
Will found himself looking forward to their lunches, Tom’s relaxed nattering filling the spaces and the comfortable silence that followed a hard discussion. He’d also come to notice that while the memories and dreams were occurring more frequently, he was now discovering new ones. Some nights Will would wake, the ghost of a smile flitting across his face and he recalled the moment. It was as though meeting Tom had provoked Scho’s memories of meeting Blake. 

The early ones were Will’s favourites. The way Blake seemed to gravitate towards him, chatting about anything and everything. The stories from back home, about the other Lance Corporals. Blake seemed eager to share any rumour that came his way, keeping Scho informed and interested.

It was sat at his desk just before lunch that Will realised Tom had already mentioned his most recent memory. He could recall Tom sharing how Joe was supposedly a lady’s man, spending his Saturday nights out at the local pub. Will remembered it differently though, he remembered the way Blake had stumbled while telling the story, his foot catching in a hole hidden by the grass as they wandered towards their stations.   
It was little details like those that Will was grateful for and he often woke yearning for more. They provided him with context, let him get to know the real Blake, not Tom, Blake. 

Scribbling this thought down on a nearby pad of paper, Will decided he’d mention it to Tom, ask if he had a similar experience. They’d learnt a lot about one another over their lunches, their discussions stretching much further than their memories. Will had recently learned that Tom was struggling to find a new focus for his work, his usual interests dying out after weeks of articles. With this in mind the older man had spent his week keeping an eye out for the right thing, something captivating and detailed. Something Tom. 

It was coming up to two O’clock when Will realised Tom was yet to show his face. They’d developed a sort of routine; Tom would collect Will from his office at half past one and they’d walk down together, deciding where to get lunch. The younger man was usually early, appearing just after one fifteen, not that it mattered.

Will decided to wait a little longer but once the clock hit two thirty he pulled out his phone to shoot Tom a text. There was no immediate response, so he just shrugged it off. Tom was probably busy or off sick.

By the time he had finished for the day, Will was still without a response. Usually this wouldn’t bother him, but with Tom’s chatty demeanour, silence was a worrying trait. Leaving his office, Will decided to pay Tom’s office a visit and see if the young man was around. It felt unlikely but checking was the only way he could be sure. 

Coming to a halt outside the door, Will knocked gently on the wooden surface. Tom’s name card had been replaced with a shiny metal material, a sign of permanence within the company. It was oddly calming to see, and Will found any fear of Tom leaving him behind drifting away. He smiled softly to himself, a satisfied chuckle slipping past his lips. 

Just as he was considering knocking again the door flew open, a dishevelled Tom appearing on the other side. His hair was awry, a few stray curls falling down into his eyes, resting across his pale forehead. From what Will could make out, the man needed some caffeine and maybe even a nap.

“Hey,” Tom smiled, his crooked grin beaming up at him. “Everything okay?”

Will nodded, adjusting his bag on his shoulder and trying to chance a glance over Tom’s shoulder into the room. “Yeah, I was just checking on you since you missed lunch.”

“Lunch?” Now Tom looked confused, his smile faltering briefly before understanding flooded his expression. “Oh it’s Tuesday isn’t it…?” he glanced down at his watch as if confirming his mistake. “I am so sorry   
man, I just-”

Will cut him off, raising his hand as if to physically brush away the excuse. “Don’t worry about it,” he smiled reassuringly at the man, noting how lifeless and exhausted his eyes looked, they were missing their usual brightness. It was a look Will had seen on himself far too many times. “Have you taken a break at all today?” he asked, cocking his head to one side in question. 

“Yeah. yeah briefly,” Tom nodded, running a hand through his hair in failed attempt to fix the mess. 

Will simply shook his head, “Not good enough, come on we’ll go get a coffee.” He took a step back, making it very clear that his mind couldn’t be changed. 

He watched as hesitance flickered across Tom’s face, the kind of self-doubt that belonged anywhere but the young man’s mind. It only took a brief pause for him to give in with a sigh. “Alright, but not too long.”

Will chuckled, patting Tom on the shoulder as he stepped back outside after gathering his stuff. “No promises,” he teased, turning to walk down the corridor.

He couldn’t pinpoint an exact time, but somewhere in between their lunch meetings and odd messages Will had become comfortable. He’d relaxed into a new routine, one much less organised than before and as daunting as it seemed, he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

-

Tom’s soundless attitude continued throughout their coffee trip and before long Will found concern beginning to take root at the back of his mind. He’d never had to start the conversation like this, Tom always jumped right in the second they were sat down. Now, however, Will was wondering how he did it, how he could address the issue right out with no fear or thought of consequence. 

“What’s really going on Tom?” Will asked, deciding to just bite the bullet and start the conversation. The open vulnerability that flashed across Tom’s face at his words making him question whether he should have spoken at all. 

Tom just shrugged, looking down at his takeaway coffee cup as he passed it back and forth between his hands. “It’s stupid,” he said.

“If you’re upset about it then it’s hardly stupid,” Will murmured, his voice low and reassuring as he watched the man in front of him. He didn’t say anything more, he didn’t need to. He just waited, a warm reassuring silence sitting between them.

It took a few moments but eventually Tom did speak up, his voice quiet and steady. “I had a new memory.. about Blake,” he murmured, still refusing to look up. “I’ve had it once before actually.. the one where he-” He cut off, looking up to meet Will’s eyes.

They both knew what he meant but neither of them said it. It was as though saying it out loud was an act of disrespect, like they were sharing personal information that didn’t belong to them.

Will just looked back at Tom, his eyes brimming with empathy. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” Tom’s eyes were still locked on Will’s, searching for the comfort and familiarity. “You said yourself that you’ve seen it multiple times.. I should be able to deal with it.”

“No,” Will shook his head, voice suddenly firm. “That’s not how this works Tom.” He hated how harsh he sounded, but he had spent so long beating himself up over the things he couldn’t help feeling and he couldn’t bear to think of Tom doing the same. 

Tom opened his mouth to argue but Will was already continuing. “I have struggled endlessly with these memories, the way they just take over and before you know it you can’t tell where they end, and you begin. I would never, ever, wish that upon anyone else because I know how hard it is…” 

The confidence arrived out of nowhere, shocking both of them. Will knew Tom needed to hear this, he had spent his whole life hoping for someone to understand, but it wasn’t until that moment that he realised maybe he needed to be that person for someone else. For Tom. 

“So please Tom… please don’t think any less of yourself just because you’re struggling..” Will let his voice die out. The silence sitting between them was one of deep thought, both of them letting it settle as they absorbed what had just been said. 

Will found himself watching Tom, not intently but just enough to notice how he was taking the little speech. The younger man had broken eye contact just as he had finished speaking and was now gazing out the window into the street. It was fairly quiet out, the late April evening providing enough light for people to go about their way in a peaceful manner. It wasn’t until he followed Tom’s direct eyeline that Will realised exactly what it was that had stolen the other’s attention. 

A cherry blossom tree.

It was only a small tree, a thin trunk leading up to a spread of branches. There weren’t many blossoms left as the month was ending but one or two of the branches still held clusters of the stuff. They were drifting down in the breeze, fluttering across the street before settling against the pavement. 

‘Like it’s been snowing’. The words rang clearly in Will’s mind, the voice so much like that of the man before him, yet so different at the same time. Blake’s voice was of longing, wishing to know more. Tom however, wanted the opposite, he wanted to retreat from the knowledge and hide it away. 

Drawing his eyes away from the window, Will looked back to Tom, who was now looking down at his cup of tea as though it held all of the answers. 

It was in that moment that Will knew what he had to do. What he needed to say, so that the both of them could begin to move forward.

“Tom?” He asked, prompting the man in question to look up. 

“Yeah?” 

“Scho made it to the Devons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.  
> Find me on Tumblr! @datfilmnerd


	5. Lay beside me in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom learns about when Schofield reached the Devons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but I'm back and I'm very proud of this chapter.  
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :)

“Scho made it to the Devons.”

At first Tom didn’t move. He simply sat. His eyes had widened slightly at Will’s words and his lips parted in a mixture of surprise and relief. 

Will remained quiet, letting Tom take in this new information at his own pace. There was no point overwhelming the man. Though, in that moment Tom reminded him so much of himself as a young boy. The look on his face matched perfectly with the one he’d worn as he had flicked through his grandfather’s book. 

It held a hesitance. An internal debate on whether he’d finally found enough information or whether he needed that little bit more. 

“He did?” Tom sounded breathless and Will couldn’t help but notice the way the younger man took each inhale with caution. 

Sitting up a little straighter, Will shifted to lift a foot onto his chair and slide it beneath his thigh. “He did.” 

“He did.” Tom repeated the words, this time losing control as his lungs deflated. The air escaped in the form of a laugh. A deep rush of relief pouring past his lips. “In time? He stopped the attack?”

Will nodded. Their eyes met briefly but the older man glanced down at the table just a second later. 

“Yes.” He let out a hum, his brain trying to phrase his next sentence without worrying Tom. “Well the first wave was sent over as he arrived, but-” Will continued hurriedly as he saw Tom’s eyes widen just a little bit further. “but they called them back as soon as they could.”

A bob of his head was all Tom could offer as his mind scrambled to piece all of the new information together. “And Joe?” 

“Joe was fine. A little shaken but otherwise okay.” Will made sure to keep his voice even as he said this, reassuring Tom as though he was actually speaking to Blake himself. He had experienced first-hand the connection Tom felt with the Lieutenant, and if he could provide any reassurance this was it. 

Tom sat back in his seat, shoulders sinking in relief. “You won’t believe, how long I have waited to hear you say those words.” 

“Oh trust me,” Will laughed softly raising his now lukewarm mug of tea to his lips. “I know.” 

Tom barked out a laugh at that, his hand reaching up to grab a napkin from the table. “I guess you do.” He nodded, his chest heaving as he continued to giggle under his breath. His attention was now focussed directly on the napkin as he rotated it in his hands. “You really do.” 

It was quiet, barely there, but in that moment it made sense. Both men had found the other. The one person that understood. The person who just knew. 

The conversation didn’t go much further after that, instead shifting to more carefree topics. They discussed Tom’s recent article and the kids that where always putting things through Will’s letterbox. It was easy, relaxing. Just what they needed. 

The pair had been so caught up in their chatter that they had missed how every other customer had slowly made their way out, or how the sun had completed its descent behind the row of building’s opposite.

Neither of them looked up until one of the baristas came over to inform them that the shop was closing. 

Of course that made them laugh yet again, heads shaking at their own oblivion. 

After helping the same barista collect their mess, Tom and Will shuffled outside, doing up their jackets as the spring air began to cool in the dim light. 

Will couldn’t help but reflect on the difference he saw in Tom compared to the state he had found him in earlier that day. He had relaxed, his carefree manner seeping back. It was clear in the way he walked, his whole body bounced with each step as though a weight had been lifted and he no longer left an impression on the pavement. 

It almost made Will feel guilty. The fact that he had kept this from Tom for so long, that he had made him wait with the dread and anticipation. It was cruel. 

For a brief moment Will found his eyes following Tom as they made their way down the path, watching the way he smiled at those passing by. He felt a sense of admiration for the younger man and how he could carry on as if their conversation had never happened. 

“Do you need to head back to work?” 

Tom’s voice pulled Will from his thoughts and he blinked to see Tom smiling at him as they fell into place beside one another. 

“No. No, I’m good to go.” Will smiled back easily, his eyes crinkling ever so slightly at the edges. “Do you?”

Tom shook his head quickly and Will watched on in amusement as a loose curl fell down onto the man’s forehead, making him flick his head back slightly to shift it. “Nah I’ve got my wallet and all that.” 

They continued walking for a while, not really paying attention to their route until they were stood outside their office building again.

“I was thinking, do you wanna come back to mine?” He was watching Will in return now, clearly hoping for a yes.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple for Will. He had his system, his evening routine. It consisted of a small dinner while he watched whatever rubbish soap was on that night, followed by a quick shower and then he settled on the sofa with his book. 

It was the same every night and it was yet another thing that gave him control. It grounded him, prepared him even. The conflict must have shown on his face because Tom slowed slightly, offering one of his trademark smiles. One that was brimming with understanding. The one that was so often reserved for Will. 

“You don’t have to; just thought it’d be nice ya know?” 

“Yeah.” 

Will did know, and all of a sudden he wanted to agree. To nod along and follow Tom to his home, to get to know Tom more for himself rather than the bond that had brought them together. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay?”

Will turned slightly on the path so that he was almost walking backwards. “I’ll come over.” 

As uncomfortable as the words felt in his mouth, he knew it would be worth it. And if the grin that widened on Tom’s face was anything to go by, he’d made the right decision. 

-

“Right, excuse the mess, I haven’t had a chance to tidy up properly,” Tom murmured as he slid his key into the lock and gave the door a shove with his shoulder. “I’ll pop the kettle on yeah? You’re a tea guy.” 

Will shuffled through the door behind Tom, taking in the dimly lit hallway around them. It was small with a cluster of shoes tossed to one side just inside the doorway. Taking note of Tom’s actions, Will began to follow suit and toed off his shoes before kicking them to sit neatly beside the pile. 

“Will?” 

The man in question looked up, now realising he’d never answered the question. “Hmm?”

“You fancy a cuppa?” Tom repeated himself, now wiggling his arms free from his jacket. “Or tell ya what I’ve got some beers in the fridge if you want somethin’ stronger,” he joked, dropping his bag down onto the floor beside their shoes. 

Raising an eyebrow, Will straightened up from where he was setting his own bag next to Toms. “You know what? I’ll take a beer.” He chuckled, suddenly feeling a little lighter. It was clear he had nothing to worry about. 

“Of course.” Tom turned on his heel so that he could head further into the apartment, leaving Will no choice but to follow. “Make yourself at home yeah? Pop the telly on or something.” 

Will slowed to a stop, now standing in the doorway to Tom’s living room. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but he was happily surprised. Near to the door was a worn sofa that had been pushed up against the wall. Opposite the far end of it sat a TV, and just across from that was an armchair that had definitely seen better days. To finish the room off there was a coffee table sat in the middle. 

However, it wasn’t the furniture that stole Will’s attention, but rather what was on the coffee table. Nestled amongst a few dirty mugs and random sheets of paper sat a little cat, who was now observing Will with caution. 

“Hello,” Will murmured, shuffling closer with his hand held out as a peace offering. He stooped to the animal’s level, giving it the chance to sniff at his fingers. “There you go...” The words slipped past his lips in a whisper and he slowly raising his hand to brush against the cat’s head. 

Will was so fixated on his new friend that he failed to hear Tom enter the room behind him. “I see you found Trevor.” 

The sudden noise made him startle and Will pulled his hand back sharply, while the cat, Trevor, retreated back into his nest of papers. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Tom held out an open bottle of beer for the other to take as he stood up. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.” 

Will wasn’t too worried though and the warm flush of fear against his neck began to fade almost as quickly as it appeared. “Trevor huh?” He asked instead, raising an eyebrow at the younger man as he took the bottle. 

“Yeah, he’s my mate. Ain’t ya Trev?” 

Much to Will’s amusement the cat paid Tom no attention, simply closing its eyes against the unwanted company. 

“Yeah great friends,” Will couldn’t help but tease as he moved to sit on the sofa. He watched as his colleague came further into his room and much to his surprise took a seat at the other end of the sofa. He had expected Tom to sit in the armchair, not right beside him.

Tom, clearly unimpressed by Will’s remark, just turned in his seat so that his back was now pressed against the arm of the sofa and his feet where up on the seat not too far from Will’s thigh. “I’ll have you know we is the best of mates actually.” He argued, lifting his drink to his lips. 

Will mimicked his action, taking a sip from the cold glass. He was still a little unsure. Despite how much calmer he felt compared to when Tom had first invited him over, a snippet of doubt remained in the back of his mind. This was wildly different to Will’s conventional evening and he could count on one hand how many times he’d drifted from that routine. 

“Don’t worry, I believe you.”

Tom just huffed in response, rolling his eyes. 

“So what are the papers for?” Will asked after a moment, they where both watching Trevor now as he was very carefully turning around in his spot. 

“Oh, they’re that new article I was doing. I took your advice, so I was just doing some research,” Tom explained, looking back at his friend. 

“Advice?”

“Yeah, y’know how you said to find something that interested me.” He leaned over from his seat to grab a piece of paper from the top of the pile and hand it to Will. “It was good advice actually, I got quite a bit done.”

Will nodded absently, taking the paper with his spare hand, and reading the title. 

**THE UNSUNG HEROES OF WWI**

He read it again, and then a third time just to be sure he was reading it correctly. 

His shock must have been noticeable because Tom spoke up quickly. “It’s something I’ve always been interested in, for obvious reasons.” He explained. “And when you said I might enjoy it more…” he trailed off,  
pulling his lip in between his teeth as he watched Will. “If you think it’s a bad idea then I can change it or-”

“No. No it’s a great idea Tom,” Will cut him off, his words brimming with respect. “Really, I’m glad you’re having fun with it.” The corner of his mouth pulled upwards as relief flooded Tom’s face and he lifted his beer to his lips again to conceal it

“You don’t mind?”

“Of course not,” Will shook his head, reaching over to settle the paper back down on the table. “It’s brilliant.” He smiled properly this time and held his bottle out towards Tom, who didn’t hesitate to tap his own against it. 

“Thanks.” 

-

After that, the evening was pretty relaxed and before either man could realise it was completely dark out. Trevor had left the room sometime after their conversation about Tom’s article and shortly after that Will’s empty beer bottle had been replaced with a new one. 

“And you actually did it?!”

“Well yeah I was only five!” 

Will giggled, tipping his head back against the arm of the sofa. Tom had just finished telling some elaborate story about the time Joe had convinced him he might be able to catch a shooting star if he slept out in the tree. 

“How long did you last?”

“About five minutes, and then it started rainin’.” 

Will just laughed harder. As the evening had progressed he’d felt himself becoming more and more comfortable. He just wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or Tom’s carefree personality rubbing off on him. 

The pair were facing each other now, their socked feet tangled together on the sofa cushions. They were both leaning against the arm rests, though Will had eventually drifted sideways so that his shoulder was sinking into the back cushion of his seat. 

“I should get going…” Will murmured after a moment, reaching up to run his hand down his face. 

“Are you sure? You can stay the night if you want?” 

Will let out yet another quiet laugh, “It’s 1 am on a Wednesday morning, Tom.”

“Exactly, it’s dangerous on the tube at this time of night.” 

The determined expression on Tom’s face just made Will’s heat up even more. “We both have work in the morning.” 

“And? I’ll come to yours with you in the morning so you can change and then we’ll go to work.” 

Will just blinked at him, resting his mostly empty bottle on his knee. Tom looked so hopeful and he wasn’t sure he could say no. 

“Tom…” 

“C’mon Will, it’ll be fun.” 

He couldn’t, could he? It was one thing staying out for the evening, let alone all night. Will could barely remember a night where his sleep had been unbothered. A night where he hadn’t woken with his heart slamming against his ribcage, and a matching throbbing in the back of his skull. 

“I don’t know.” 

“You can bunk with me; it’ll be a laugh.” Tom just continued on with his quest to convince him. 

“Fine.” Will huffed, finishing the rest of his drink. He was going to need it. “I’ll stay, just shut up.”

Letting out a triumphant laugh, Tom leaned over to gently squeeze the older man’s knee. “You won’t regret it.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Will rolled his eyes and leaned further into the sofa cushion. He was usually asleep by now, relying on the theory that if he got enough sleep before the memories crashed in, he might not have to go back to sleep afterwards. 

Right on cue, a small yawn tumbled past his lips and he caught it in his sleeve. 

“Let’s head to bed yeah?” Tom smiled, and Will could feel his eyes watching him. He wasn’t sure when he had closed his own eyes, but evidently he had. 

Cracking one eye open, Will looked at Tom before bobbing his head gently against the sofa cushion. He wasn’t sure why he was so tired all of a sudden, usually he struggled to even drift off, but right now he felt as though if he’d kept his eyes shut for just a few seconds longer he would have had no problem. 

He continued to watch as Tom stood, offering out a hand to pull Will to his feet. They both stumbled slightly as they left the room, neither man had stood for a good few hours now. 

“How much did you drink?” Will ducked down to set his now empty bottle on the coffee table, being careful to avoid any of Tom’s papers. 

He looked up as Tom stopped in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame. “Not much, probably less than you,” his tongue poked past his teeth as he refrained from laughing at his co-worker. 

“Hey, I didn’t drink _that_ much.” It came out as whine and Will was seriously starting to question why he’d been so against this to begin with. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Tom just teased back. “C’mon, bedtime.”

Unable to find a retort for his friends’ words, Will simply followed Tom down the hallway to his room. At some point a shirt was tossed in his direction and before long he was wearing it and laying with his shoulder brushing Tom’s while they watched the ceiling above them. 

“Thank you.” It was barely a whisper, but it was there, and it was loud enough for the dark haired man beside him to hear. 

The pillow dipped as Tom rolled his head to look at Will, who’s eyes never wandered from the ceiling. “What for?” 

“For convincing me to come over,” Will finally let his eyes drift shut again and his body relax into the mattress. 

“Thank you for coming,” Tom whispered, his voice thick as sleep began to pull him in as well. “Night Will.”

“G’night.”

For the first time since his tenth birthday, Will experienced a night of safe, undisturbed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated :)


	6. Talk to me

“Knock, knock.”

It was Olivia, her voice sounding across Will’s office on a slow Monday morning. The door started to creep open as her knuckles echoed against the wood. 

Will looked up from his position beneath his desk. “Come in! It’s open!” He was trying to squeeze a folded wedge of paper beneath the wood in a quick DIY against the wobbling furniture leg. 

“Will?” 

From what he could hear, Olivia was now stood beside him, peering down at him from above. With one last wiggle he successfully slid the paper beneath the desk and sat back to free himself from his hiding spot. Though it seemed the desk was much smaller than he first realised, and his moment of celebration ended abruptly as the back of his head connected with the wooden surface. 

“Shit!” 

“Will!” 

The desk jolted and Will’s hand flew up to press against the now tender patch in his hair. He very carefully began to crawl towards his chair, making sure to keep his head down until he was sure it was safe. 

“Sorry, sorry.” He murmured, rising to his feet. “Thought I had more space than I did.”

He looked up to see his very confused co-worker and provided a crooked grin. “Everything okay?” He asked, pulling his hand away from his head. It was sore, but nothing too drastic. A little bump at most. 

Olivia just shot him a perplexed look and shook her head softly. “Yeah, I just thought I’d stop by for a chat,” she explained. As she spoke, she reached out to grab Will gently by the shoulders and turn him around so that he was looking in the opposite direction. 

“Why were you under the desk anyway?” She reached up to brush a hand through Will’s hair, clearly checking for signs of damage. 

He shrugged. Her hand was still on his shoulder, preventing him from walking away. “You know that new executive editor guy?” Will asked, waiting for her hum of acknowledgment before he continued. 

“Well apparently his desk was too wobbly, so they swapped it with mine.” He sighed, reaching out a foot to kick at the table leg in distaste. “So I was trying to stop it from wobbling.”

Olivia stopped pulling at his hair and he turned around to face her again. “Sounds like a right asshole,” she frowned. “Could you not say no? It’s not really fair on you is it?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t think it would have done anything; he would have just taken someone else’s.” As annoyed as he was, his desk was the easiest to move as his office wasn’t too far down the hallway. Plus he’d rather it was his over someone who wrote at their desk for hours on end. 

Taking a step back, he sat on the arm of his chair. He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles over before doing the same with his arms. “Anyways, you wanted a chat?” He asked, looking at the girl who was now sat on his not so wobbly desk. 

“Oh yeah,” Olivia smirked, swinging her legs slightly. “I just noticed a young man down the hallway has seemed _very_ happy recently.” 

Will frowned, his head tilting to one side as he tried to understand what Olivia meant exactly. “Who? Tom?” 

“No Edith, Yes Tom!” Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes as though Will should already know where this was going. “I was simply wondering if it had anything to do with you, Mr Schofield?.”

Now Will was really confused. He quickly brushed off the use of his last name, shaking his head slowly. “What- what makes you think that?” he asked, hating how his voice cracked on his first attempt. 

“I dunno, just a little birdy told me you’ve been staying at his.”

Okay that was true. Since that night about a month ago, Will had stayed over at Tom’s a number of times. Though that was only when they’d gotten to talking and not finished until late into the night. And although neither man had mentioned it, they both knew the other slept better when they were together. Almost as if having the connection right beside them eased the memories and put a pause in the nightmares. 

“I wouldn’t say it like that…” Will murmured. “Anyway who told you that?”

This time Olivia just laughed at him, causing Will to feel even further out of the loop. What was going on? 

“Who do you think? That chatterbox won’t shut up about you.” She nodded back towards the door. “Can’t chat got coffee with Will,” Olivia mimicked Tom’s accent, giggling at what Will could only guess was the flustered look on his face. If the heat rising from his collar was anything to go by, his cheeks were definitely flushing. “Did ya know Will hates cat hair? Do ya think Will likes pizza?” 

Will’s face was definitely red now. He could remember the Saturday afternoon he’d turned up at Tom’s apartment and the younger man had been food shopping that same day. If Will thought back correctly, he had bought four different types of pizza and the pair of them had barely finished two.

“I- he’s a good mate,” was all Will could spit out, still a little confused as to where Olivia was going with this. 

The girl in question just rolled her eyes. “Good mates don’t stay every night,” she stated, leaving little room to argue. 

Will couldn’t help but roll his eyes back, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, as though fixing it would distract from his now bright red face. “I don’t stay every-”

Unfortunately, his argument was cut short by another knock at the door, which quickly creaked open to reveal the man they where currently discussing. “Hey, is it a bad time?” Tom was holding a folder in his hands, a slightly nervous look on his face. 

“No, I was just leaving actually,” Olivia spoke up before Will could even open his mouth. “I’ll leave you to it,” she smiled. Her back was to the door so there was no way Tom could see how she winked at Will. 

Will watched her go, shaking his head softly to himself at the strange interaction. “Hey, Tom. What’s up?” He asked, a smile appearing on his face the way it always did around the other man. 

Tom returned the smile and stepped further into the room. He kicked the door shut with the heel of his shoe and made his way towards Will’s new desk. 

“I finally finished that article.” Tom held out the file for Will. The older man didn’t miss the way his hand shook slightly, and his statement came out as more of a question. 

Since their first conversation about it, Tom had refrained from saying too much about his work and it didn’t take an idiot to know he was scared of making Will uncomfortable. 

Will simply shrugged off Tom’s hesitance and instead shot him a quick grin as he stood to accept the file. “Are you sure this is an article?” He teased, “feels more like a novel.” 

“Yeah, I uh- got a little carried away,” Tom laughed awkwardly, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. “Once I started, I just couldn’t seem to stop.”

“I’m sure it’s brilliant Tom,” Will reassured him, beginning the flick through the first pages. “I’ll add it to my pile, but it may take a little while.” 

By now Tom had moved to fill Olivia’s position on the desk and Will had settled down properly in his chair. “That Miller guy sent you any work yet? They said something about changing who deals with what.” 

Will just sighed, gently tossing Tom’s folder onto his desk. “Yeah, he’s been emailing me all morning.” 

It had been non-stop and had started even before he’d turned up for work. Of course once the man had stolen Will’s desk the emails became much more frequent. Will could only guess the man was incapable of typing on an uneven surface. 

“Really? What’s he got you doing?” Tom leaned in closer as he spoke, and Will let out a chuckle at his childlike interest. 

“He’s sending me articles from other branches and asking me to follow up queries from head office, stuff like that.” As he answered Tom’s question, Will sent a glare to his laptop, just waiting for another notification to pop up.

Tom chuckled at Will’s expression and reached out to tap his foot against his colleagues’ knee. “Are you even supposed to be doing that?” He asked, and Will hated the way worry was dripping into his voice. 

“I’m not sure, but hey it keeps me busy.” He shrugged, hoping he sounded at least somewhat reassuring. 

“Still if it gets too much just tell him to shove it yeah?” Tom shot Will a knowing look. “Or tell me and I’ll do it for ya.” 

Will didn’t doubt that for a minute, for the man wore his heart on his sleeve and he just knew that included protecting his friends. 

“I’ll be okay,” Will said with a hint of amusement. “Thank you though.”

“Anytime.”

-

It took two weeks for Will to regret not taking Tom’s offer. It had started slowly at first. A few extra tasks here and there, a couple more articles, nothing he couldn’t handle. However, then it doubled, and then it included more queries from head office. It wasn’t long before Will began to wonder if he was doing Miller’s job for him. 

The ring of his inbox became a terrifying sound, and a wave of dread seemed to wash over him every time he heard it. It just added to the weight, another job on the list. Still, Will carried on as always, deciding that if he kept his head down it would probably work out for the better.

He managed to push that theory through until the middle of May, when it all came crashing down. He was curled up on Tom’s old sofa while its owner was cooking some kind of stir-fry in the kitchen. Usually Will would be in there with him, sitting on the counter and listening as Tom shared about his day. 

That’s what he enjoyed the most about Tom’s company, the man could talk forever about anything. Be it rumours from around the office, or some new word he’d discovered while writing his article. If it could be shared, Will knew about it. 

However, today Will had barely registered the moment when Tom got up to leave the room. The pair of them had drifted back from work, cheap office coffee in hand, and had proceeded to settle in their respected ends of the sofa to finish any leftover work. Though if the smell emitting from the small kitchen was anything to go by, Tom had clearly left sometime in the last fifteen minutes. 

The TV was still playing quietly in the background. Some overdramatic soap, probably EastEnders knowing Tom. It wasn’t too loud, just enough to produce a small buzz of noise, but with every passing minute it seemed to bounce harder and harder off of Will’s temples. 

Trevor was watching him too, it was his dinner time soon, and for some reason the cat felt it was Will’s job tonight. Whenever he stopped by for the evening Will ended up giving the pet his food while Tom made theirs, but tonight he wasn’t prepared to get up.

“Ask Tom, Trev,” He mumbled reaching over to grab the TV remote and lower the volume. 

He must have moved too fast, too suddenly, because Trevor seemed to startle.

Usually the cat was somewhat friendly, particularly with Will. After he’d stayed that first night, Tom had explained that Trevor rarely warmed up to people, so he wasn’t surprised that the cat kept his distance most of the time. 

This time was different though. Trevor, in a rare moment of bravery lashed out at Will’s hand, his claws grabbing at his fingers and his teeth sinking in. 

Will yelped, yanking his hand back with a hiss. “What the hell Trevor?!” he pulled the limb close to his chest, shaking it slightly as though that would help. 

With a shaky breath, he lowered himself back onto the sofa. The irritable tension in his temples had now formed into a full-fledged headache, making his mind cloudy and his thoughts distant. A stinging sensation was flooding his hand, the claw marks tracing from his knuckles round onto his palm. 

The feeling was all too familiar though, and a prickling was slowly taking up the rest of his hand with an odd heat. If he’d had the energy he’d have easily compared this to adrenaline, but Will was too busy trying not to fall apart in Tom’s cramped living room. 

“Stupid animal.” Will’s papers where long forgotten at the foot of the sofa now, scattered across the carpet. 

“What happened?” Tom appeared in the doorway with a tea towel over his shoulder. He frowned as he looked across at his friend. “Will?”

Will just shook his head and began shaking his hand again. 

“Hey, stop it.” He heard Tom cross the carpet until he was crouched in front of him. “Let me see.” 

He must have held out his hand because the next thing he noticed was Tom pressing his tea towel to the minute wound. The touch was cold, Tom’s fingerprints brushing against the creases in Will’s palm. 

“Will,” Tom murmured. “Will, look at me.” 

Will did look up, but his view of the man’s face was blurry, and Tom’s features were swimming before his eyes. He tried searching his face for the blue that he usually found there, but his own eyes were too blurry to make the contact. 

Will was so focused; he didn’t notice Tom moving and let out an involuntary flinch when he raised a hand to brush a thumb along his bottom lashes. “Sorry,” the younger man whispered, lowering it again.

“I know what this feels like Will, but you ain’t there… you’re okay, yeah?” Tom’s words were awkward, and he hated how they just tumbled from his lips, but he knew Will needed to hear them.

Eventually, Will’s vision began to clear, and he ducked his head in embarrassment. He let out a small sniffle and it was then that he realised that his cheeks were damp.

Tom sat back on his heels, still pressing the tea towel into Will’s dry palm. He didn’t speak for a few moments, and Will took the time to compose himself. He could feel his friend’s eyes watching him, but unlike before he couldn’t bring himself to look up for eye contact. 

Instead he let his eyes wander down to their hands, taking note of the pressure against his palm and the way Tom’s hand was cupping the back of his own. The touch was calming, and ever so slowly it began pulling Will closer to reality. Their reality.

Will lifted his chin slightly, wincing as the thumping in his head sped up. He hated how worried Tom looked, the way his eyes followed every movement as though Will would fall apart if he looked away again. 

“Your head hurtin’?” Tom asked gently, making it clear he had noticed the wince. 

Will could only nod, not trusting his voice right now.

He watched silently as Tom finally drew his gaze away from his face and turned his attention to curling Will’s own fingers around the tea towel, holding it in place. They both knew the makeshift dressing was unnecessary physically, but mentally it was a reassurance. A reminder that even if the situation had been dangerous, they were prepared. 

The younger man slowly rose to his feet, his movements slow and controlled, making Will cringe with further embarrassment. He wasn’t some frightened animal who needed protecting. 

Before he could say anything though, Tom was gone. And it soon became clear that Trevor had left also. 

He wasn’t alone for long because Tom returned just a moment later. The man was wearing a smile and held a glass of water in his hand. “Here, these should help.” He set the water down on the coffee table, close enough that Will could reach, and held out two small pills in his hand. 

Will watched through puffy eyes as Tom turned off the TV and settled down in his previous position, cross legged on the carpet. They sat in silence for a little while longer before Will finally found the courage speak up.

“Weren’t you making dinner?” 

Tom just shrugged him off, the usual smile playing at his lips. “I just finished, but it can be warmed up again. Don’t worry.” 

“Sorry…” Will mumbled. He pulled his hand into his lap and began fiddling with the brightly patterned fabric. Tom had been grumbling about wanting dinner for a few hours already, and now he had to wait even longer. 

“Hey, none of that,” Tom huffed, though it was clear he didn’t mind. Will, unsure how to respond, didn’t speak again, only looking up when his friend tapped him lightly on the knee to get his attention.

“You wanna talk about it?” Tom offered, raising an eyebrow at the mess on the floor. 

“Not particularly.” 

Tom just nodded, and Will shot him a shaky smile. “It’s just Miller,” he explained, his voice stronger now. “The man seems to think I’m his personal assistant, I swear.” 

Tom chuckled, raising his hand to rest it against Will’s knee again. “Have you spoken to him about it?”

“No,” Will scoffed, looking down at Tom’s hand. The warm weight of it was comforting. 

“Do you need me to?” Tom asked. “‘cause you know I will if-”

“It’s fine, Tom.” 

Neither man pushed the conversation further. Will just continued to watch the hand on his knee as fingertips began tracing gentle patterns into the fabric of his trousers, and Tom just watched Will. 

It wasn’t until later that night when they were sat opposite each other in their usual spots that Tom approached the topic again.

“You know what you need?” He prompted, causing Will to look away from the film they were watching. 

“What?”

“A break.” Before Will could even open his mouth to question him, Tom was talking again. “I’m serious, the bank holiday’s this weekend right? Let’s go somewhere!”

Now Will was really confused. “Where would we go? I don’t know if I have the time to Tom…” 

“We could go to my Mum’s house?” Tom offered quickly, his voice picking up as excitement started to creep in. “I told you before they live in the countryside, it’d be nice!” 

Will sighed, leaning over to pause the TV. “You’re serious about this?” He asked, unable to hide his amusement. Once Tom set his mind on something, there was no changing it.

“Yeah! You need time away from work and I want to see my Mum and Joe, it’s perfect!”

Will sat back again, letting Tom’s words sink in properly. He wasn’t wrong, and a three day weekend in the sun did sound nice. Pulling his bottom lip up between his teeth, he glanced at the stack of papers piled on top of his nearby laptop. A whole weekend away from Miller, away from the incessant ringing of his inbox. 

Turning to look back at Tom and the hopeful look on his face, he made up his mind. 

“Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter but here it is nonetheless  
> Shout out to @en-aughra on tumblr for checking my grammar and helping me out!  
> And as always thank you for reading :)


	7. Welcome me home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love and hate this chapter at the same time - it was a rollercoaster to write  
> I hope you enjoy it! :)

Growing up, William Schofield wasn’t what you would call a ‘social butterfly’. He wasn’t exactly lonely, but he definitely preferred to be alone. He believed there was a big difference between lonely and alone, and he was always disappointed when people failed to understand that.

Throughout school he preferred to spend time alongside fictional friends. He sat in the library most lunch breaks and often passed up playing outside to stay in and read. There was something special about knowing he could close a book with more knowledge than with which he had opened it. 

However, this pastime seemed to worry his parents as Will missed out on a lot. He didn’t attend many birthday parties or sleepovers throughout his childhood, and despite going out more as a teenager, he tended to stick with the same small group of people. 

Therefore when Will found himself on a train out of the city that Saturday morning, he was more than a little nervous. He had been told so much about Mrs Blake and Joe that he might as well know them already, but he was unsure if they would return the feeling. 

It also didn’t help that Will had technically met Joseph Blake once before, as uncomfortable as he was in admitting that. 

Glancing out the window, Will took in the greenery that was becoming increasingly noticeable the further they hurtled away from the concrete landscape of London. It was a nice change; he couldn’t remember to last time he was able to see far off into the distance with no buildings cutting up the view. The sky seemed brighter in the countryside as well, though that may have been Will’s imagination more than anything. 

“Alright?” Tom’s arrival cut through Will’s fascination and he turned to watch the younger man sit down in the seat opposite. “I got you a coke,” Tom smiled, sliding the cold can across the table towards him. 

“I don’t drink coke.”

“And you’re on holiday Willie, ‘ave some sugar.”

Will just took the can, his argument diminishing with little persuasion. “Never call me that again,” he chuckled, cracking open the drink. 

“No promises.”

Tom set his own can down on the table and pulled out a few chocolate bars to sit beside it. 

The sugary drink turned out to be exactly what Will needed and the bouncing of his leg began to slow until eventually it stopped. 

-

About two hours and one panicked train change later, Will found himself following Tom through a small village. It seemed that the cold spring weather had finally given way to a warm sunshine that forced the two men two squint against its light.

Will struggled to match Tom’s stride as the younger man raced to reach their destination sooner rather than later. An excitement had followed his friend around ever since they had decided to visit for the weekend, and Will couldn’t deny that he found it endearing. The usual bounce in Tom’s step had tripled and he was beginning to wonder how one person could move so quickly. 

As they passed through the streets Will took a chance to admire the cottages. They lined each side of the path and each one looked as warm and welcoming as the next.

The pair continued to weave between the houses, cutting through alleyways and doorways until they eventually joined a country lane. They wandered down the road, staying close to the bushes to avoid any cars that might speed past. Each step seemed to take them a little further from the town, and it wasn’t too long before they turned into a stone filled driveway that led up to another small house. The building was a lot like the others they had passed on their journey, the only difference this time was the mass of greenery surrounding it as well as the woman waving at them from the doorstep.

“Mum!” Tom somehow sped up even more, the stones scattering beneath him as he stumbled over himself to embrace the woman. 

Will followed behind. Picking up the bag his friend had dropped, he decided to watch the homecoming from afar. 

Mrs Blake had wrapped her arms around her son, holding him tight in a way one could only describe as comforting. Her eyes fluttered open after a moment though, and Will felt her gaze lock on him.

Avoiding it for a moment, he kicked a stone with the toe of his trainer and watched it tumble away. 

“You must be Will!” 

Mrs Blake's motherly tone encouraged him to look up again, their eyes meeting as she pulled away from her son.

Almost instantly, Will knew he had nothing to worry about. The older woman’s grin as she strode towards him made it very clear he was welcome here. Wanted even. 

Will just nodded, closing the space between them with a few small steps of his own. “That’s me,” he blushed, leaning into the arms that enveloped him in greeting. 

He melted into it, letting himself relax completely for the first time since that morning. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Blake,” Will smiled. He pulled away as he spoke and adjusted Tom’s bag on his shoulder. “Thank you again for having us.”

“None of that nonsense,” Mrs Blake cut him off, patting Will on the chest as she pulled away. “I’m happy to have you.” She turned to face her son, “Both of you.”

Tom grinned at her, a childlike glee on his face. 

Mrs Blake simply grinned back, taking in the view of her son for a moment longer before finally continuing on. “Thomas, help your friend get inside,” She ordered gently, rolling her eyes as Tom sent an exaggerated salute in their direction.

“Yes Ma’am.” 

Will chuckled, watching as Mrs Blake swatted Tom around the head before leading them both inside. Maybe Tom was right in saying he needed a break, because a weekend in the country suddenly seemed pretty good. 

-

After another brief introduction with Mrs Blake, Tom and Will had been ushered upstairs to their room. Tom had warned him beforehand that they would be sharing a bed, but Will wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see as they entered his friend’s childhood room. 

Not that he’d needed to worry. It was cosy, the bed sat in the middle and everything else was scattered around it in an organised chaos. Will noticed it was a lot like Tom’s apartment condensed down so that it fit between four walls. 

“You’re still okay with sharing?” Tom asked, tossing his bag onto the freshly made bed. 

Will just rolled his eyes and did the same with his own. “Of course it’s fine. Plus it’s not like we don’t already share when I stay at yours.” 

That pulled a laugh out of Tom and he moved to sit on the mattress. “Touché.”

Will joined him, punching the man gently on the arm as a chuckled at him. “That’s a big word Tommo, don’t hurt yourself.”

“Hey! If I remember correctly, I write the articles and you edit them!” 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Will held up his hands in surrender but he couldn’t stop the giggle that still escaped him. 

Shuffling so that he was now leaning against the wall, with his back to the bed’s headboard, Tom reached out a socked foot to poke Will in the side. “You better be…” he grumbled playfully, making Will whine and wiggle away in protest. 

“Or what?” He murmured, shuffling closer so that he could sit beside his friend. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough as Tom picked up a pillow and threw it at him before he could come any closer. 

“That!” The younger man exclaimed, his eyes widening as Will threw it back. “Don’t make me send you home Will.” His words were firm, but Will knew he was joking as the minute Tom finished speaking the pillow was flying back towards him. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Will huffed, picking up the pillow properly this time and hitting Tom in the chest.

“You want to test that theory huh?” By now Tom was holding a different pillow and swinging for revenge, forcing Will to defend himself. 

“Yep!”

Will leaned forward, pressing the pillow into Tom’s face, and making the man fall back against the bed again. His victory only lasted a few seconds though because the younger man dropped his weapon, instead choosing to poke Will in the side. 

A giggle slipped past his lips and he jumped away from his friend’s touch. His knee must have slipped on the bedding or something, because when he opened his eyes he was leaning into Tom’s chest, practically on top of his friend. 

Their faces were close. Close enough that Will could feel Tom’s breath against his own skin. He froze, unsure whether he should move or not. His brain was running a mile a minute, begging him to get up and away from the situation. He shouldn’t be this close to Tom. Tom was his best friend. 

“You okay?” 

On the other hand, a part of him was urging him to lean closer and relax against Tom. It was comfortable, welcoming and he felt safe. Tom’s words seemed to dance across his skin, leaving goose bumps behind as they brushed across his cheek. 

“Yeah,” Will murmured, still leaning against him. He needed to move, get up and away… But for some strange reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

They continued to look at one another for a moment, their eyes meeting briefly as they let them wander across each other’s faces. 

Still breathing heavily from their fight just before, Will broke the eye contact to really acknowledge the way every exhale of Tom’s moved the hair that was falling into his eyes. The rise and fall of the younger man’s chest seemed to match the rhythm of Will’s more and more until they had both caught their breath.

“I uh- there is something I didn’t tell you,” Tom broke the stillness first, shuffling back to sit up again. 

“Hmmm?” Will pushed off of his friend’s chest and sat back onto his heels. He ignored the sinking feeling in his chest at the lack of contact, it was just a side effect of the breathlessness. 

He watched Tom run a hand through his hair, waiting for him to speak again. “Our house used to be my great grandfathers.”

Will frowned, “Okay..?” What did Tom mean? Why did he need to know about – “Oh..” He looked at Tom with wide eyes as the realisation hit him. This was Thomas Blake’s old house. _The_ Thomas Blake. He had grown up here, spent time here and even signed up for the war here. Everything Will had learned about the young man in his dreams came back to this very house. He could remember the stories about home, the cherry blossoms and Myrtle, they had all happened here.

“Wait… does that mean the orchard is here?!” 

Tom simply nodded, offering Will a small smile. “Out the back,” he answered, sitting up even more. “Want to check it out?”

“I- yeah.” Will said, staring at his hands as he tried to come to terms with what this house really meant to him and Tom. Both of them. “Yes please.”

“Righ’ come one then,” Tom chuckled. He stood up and offered Will a hand. 

With the aftermath of their pillow fight long forgotten in favour of this new information, Will happily took it, squeezing his friend’s hand tightly as he stood to join him.

-

A lot of the blossom from the orchard had begun to fade away with the ending of the month of May. Thousands of pink petals littered the floor and it was clear that footsteps and rain had melted them into the ground over time. Some branches still held small undisturbed clusters of the stuff, each bundle a welcome surprise to the two men as they walked further and further into the meeting of trees. 

Will found himself stopping every so often to admire these small flowers, admiring how each petal stood strong against the warm breeze as it brushed past in the late afternoon air. Every single one held a beauty that presented itself boldly against the other barren branches. If Will looked at the flower for long enough he could see Blake, waltzing across the grass to admire each and every petal in all of its glory, because that was how Blake worked. Even just experiencing snippets of the memories, Will understood that Blake looked for the best in everyone and everything he came across, and he never failed to find it. That’s what made Scho and Blake work so well together, Scho saw the front cover and Blake read the pages. 

Looking around, Will began to imagine the youngest Blake brother darting between the trees, his endless stream of energy fuelling him as he climbed the tallest tree in the crowd. As he turned around to follow the young boy in his mind, Will met Tom’s eyes. The man was smiling at him through the branches with a knowing smirk on his face.

“He’s just here isn’t he?” 

Will could only nod, feeling a little dumbfounded at the sudden reality the orchard built up around them. This was it, the place in the stories. It was real. 

“Sometimes I like to imagine him and Myrtle up here, after he came home that is…”

That made Will look up, the words shattering his feeling of euphoria. “But he-”

“No I know.” Tom cut him off quickly, his smile a little sadder now. “But if I try hard enough… sometimes I can pretend that he did y’know?”

Will nodded. He did know, and he would be foolish to deny imagining a different fate for Scho.

“I like to think he’d have come home and spent his days out here with Myrtle and some of the pups.” Tom started to walk through the trees as he spoke and Will followed closely behind, wanting to hear more. 

“He’d pick the smallest cherries to snack on, makin’ sure there was still enough to sell down at the market.” 

Will hummed in agreement, reaching up to pick one of the stray petals that hung above his head. “I think he’d have kept one of the puppies,” he said quietly. “That man couldn’t possibly have let them _all_ go.”

“You reckon so?” Tom turned to walk backwards so that he could look at Will. It was clear he knew his way around the orchard well, as he didn’t once collide with any of the trees. 

Will nodded yet again, rolling the petal between his thumb and forefinger until it began to fade into his fingerprint. “He had too much love in him, he needed someone to share it with, and who better than a little pup of his own.” 

Tom didn’t respond right away; he took a moment to understand Will’s words and think on them for himself. “He did, didn’t he?” he breathed. “I don’t think you could find a man with as much love to give as Thomas Blake.”

Will looked up slowly, watching as his friend turned around to face away from him again. He took a few longer strides to close the distance between them and elbowed Tom in the side as they met amongst the trees. “I did.” 

“Yeah?” Tom asked. “And who’s that?” 

“You, stupid.” 

-

They wandered back to the house in a comfortable silence. The type that surrounded you with a warmth, like a blanket draped over bare shoulders. Although, Will was beginning to wonder if that was a result of the sun setting behind them. 

He still had a pile of cherry blossom clenched beneath his fingers, which he opened every now and then so that the flowers could catch in the wind and dance away from him as he walked. The ground was soft beneath his feet, matching the tenderness of the evening. 

As they approached the house, a sweet aroma wafted out from the backdoor and lead the men towards the kitchen. 

“Joe should be home by now,” Tom murmured softly, raising a wrist to check his watch. It was an action that Will could easily match with Blake, something that provided him with familiarity and for once, he didn’t mind. 

“Yeah?” Will tried not to let his nerves show, but they seemed to grate against his vocal cords and make themselves known. 

Tom must have noticed, because he drifted closer and reached out a hand to squeeze Will’s elbow. “He’ll love you,” he reassured. “Like I said, he doesn’t remember anything, so don’t worry.”

Will nodded, looking down at the hand on his arm, before lifting his gaze to smile at his friend. “If you say so.”

“I know so.”

With that, Tom stepped forward into the kitchen. Mrs Blake was stood at the stove working on their dinner and Joe was sat with a cup of tea at the dining table. He looked up as the pair walked in, and Will watched as the older man’s face broke out into a grin at the sight of his baby brother. 

“Tom!” The man stood, leaning over to embrace Tom once he had closed the space between them. “How are you?” He asked, pulling back with a quick ruffle of his brother’s hair.

Tom seemed to giggle at the attention, ducking away from Joe’s hand with a bashful expression. “I’m good, great actually,” He smiled. “What ‘bout you?”

Will found himself watching the pair as the bittersweet irony of the situation began to sink in. The brotherly reunion was touching to see, though it wasn’t quite the one he had been hoping for over the years. 

This one was different though, it meant that little bit more, and perhaps that was because it belonged to Will. Not Scho, Blake, or anyone else. This memory would belong to him, and him only. 

“I’m alright,” Joe chuckled. There was a brief moment of silence, and Will felt his smile shift into one of greeting. He nodded at the older brother as their eyes met over Tom’s shoulder.

“Hi, I’m Will.” He spoke first once it became obvious that Joe wasn’t going to make the first move. He held out his hand, only for the offer to be left untaken. 

Joe just seemed to stare at him, and to Will it felt as though he was staring straight through him. The man was frozen, eyes searching Will’s face for something he clearly couldn’t place. 

“Joe?” Tom spoke this time, looking between his brother and his friend with a look of pure confusion. 

Will simply watched Joe and after a few seconds their eyes met. That was all Will needed, because suddenly it made sense. He knew. 

Slowly, he began to lower his hand and shot Tom a knowing glance, trying to communicate what he’d figured out with just one look. 

Tom must have understood the hint as he stepped forward to squeeze Joe’s arm, as he had done so with Will just a few moments before. “You okay?” He murmured, only loud enough for Will and Joe to hear. 

Mrs Blake was watching them out of the corner of her eye, and Will shot her a smile to try and ease any interest the woman had in their conversation. He wasn’t prepared to discuss this with anyone he didn’t have to. 

He glanced back at the brothers just as Joe nodded. He seemed to have recovered slightly and he turned his head to face Tom, his eyes searching his brother’s face for answer.

Compared to their initial reunion, Will suddenly felt like a stranger. He was intruding on something he shouldn’t be present for. He watched as Tom nodded at his brother, squeezing his arm again in confirmation. He could read everything his friend was trying to share, everything his eyes said. ‘Yes. I know. I remember too.’ 

“I uhm-” Joe coughed, finally pulling his gaze away from Tom. “I’ll grab something to eat later,” he started and turned back to address his mother. “I just remembered some work I forgot to finish – Thank you for making it though Mum.” 

Joe walked away from the table, nodding at Will when he stepped aside to let him through. He disappeared down the hall and just like that he was gone. Leaving Will and Tom behind to try and understand what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you for reading!  
> if you could let me know what you think it would be greatly appreciated :)


	8. Remember me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this update took so long again, I had serious writers block on this one and really disliked everything I was writing.  
> Here we are though!  
> I hope you enjoy :)

The sky moves faster at night. At least that was what Will had decided as he lay awake watching the shadows of clouds making their way across the ceiling. He studied how they distorted the room, making everything seem so much larger than it was. Every now and then the shadows would reach the wall and stray downwards until they met the floor. He followed their every move with hope that it would finally lull him to sleep, but so far he’d had little success.

The sunshine from earlier in the day had disappeared shortly after they’d gone to bed, followed quickly by a storm, most likely a result of the heat. Tom had fallen asleep almost immediately, clearly worn out from their long day. Will however had yet to drift off.

While the consistent sound of rain drumming against the window was calming, it did nothing to ease Will’s nerves about Joe. 

The man had clearly been overwhelmed by his revelation. He had certainly been confused and who was Will to blame him? It was hard to place what had triggered the memory. So far Will could only assume it was his face, their meeting matching that of their one on the battlefield following his disastrous journey. 

With a sigh, Will rolled over again so that his back was to Tom. He could never understand how his friend slept so easily, his breathing always seemed to even out mere seconds after they’d settled, and Will was definitely beginning to envy him.

Once another stretch of silence had passed, Will gave up on sleep altogether and rolled over to place his feet on the ground. Maybe a glass of fresh water would help clear his head. 

He paid close attention as he descended the stairs, trying to avoid any that looked eager to creak beneath his weight. The last thing he wanted was to wake anyone else up. As he approached the kitchen however, it became clear that his caution was unnecessary as the light seeping out from beneath the door told him the kitchen was already occupied. 

Knocking gently on the wood before gently pushing the door open, Will came face to face with the same man he wanted more than anything to avoid.

Joe sat at the table with a mug of tea held between both hands. He was facing away from the door, looking out into the garden towards the orchard. If it weren’t for the stiffness that flooded his frame as the door opened, Will would have assumed he’d gone unnoticed. 

He kind of wished he had. 

While he knew that they would have to discuss the situation before they left again the following morning, Will still felt it would be better to give Joe his space for the time being. It was a big thing to come to terms with, and he hadn’t grown up with it like the other two. 

“You can come in you know?”

Joe’s words shocked Will into action. He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood watching the older man, but apparently it had been long enough for Joe to notice his hesitance. 

“I- yeah. Thank you.” Will murmured, shuffling inside, and shutting the door behind himself. 

He began filling a glass with water when Joe spoke up again. “Can’t sleep?” He asked, the words hitting Will’s back. 

He turned the tap off but refused to turn around. The early hours of the morning were no time to discuss situations like their own, but it looked like he had no choice. 

“You could say that… you?” 

“I like to think of it as easily staying awake.”

And there it was. This man was clearly Tom’s brother. 

Keeping a sigh to himself, Will turned on his heel to face Joe. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Mmmm.”

The air was sticky. Neither man had the capability of moving, of walking away from this interaction. It needed to be done and they couldn’t just ignore it. Will had simply hoped for a little more time to prepare himself. 

They sat in silence for a few long minutes and Will hated how different it was to his time with the younger Blake. He’d never wanted so much to be back in Tom’s apartment, or even just upstairs with him. Where he could listen to the rise and fall of his best friend’s chest, and the way he always wheezed a little instead of snoring. 

“How long has this been going on then?”

Once again Joe cut off Will’s train of thought. He flinched a little at the noise, becoming suddenly aware of how tight he was holding onto his glass. 

“Sorry?” Will murmured. He put the glass down out of fear that he’d break it and instead moved to hide his hands behind himself against the counter. It was a weak attempt at hiding his nerves, but he was positive Joe could practically smell them on him anyway. 

“These memories. How long have you had them?” Joe asked again, his tone bordering on defensive. 

“Since I was ten,” Will mumbled, his eyes meeting the floor. 

“Since you were? - alright then.” 

Will cringed at Joe’s reaction, it wasn’t like he’d planned for any of this to happen. 

“How come I’m only just experiencing this now?” He prodded; his gaze was so focussed on Will that the younger man was beginning to wonder if he could physically melt under the pressure. 

Will took a moment to consider Joe’s question before answering. In reality he knew as little as Joe did about their situation, he had merely learned to deal with it. He’d developed his routine and he’d stuck to it. Lack of change equalled lack of trouble. 

In the end, he settled for a shrug. If you had told him two days previously that he’d be stood in the Blake’s small family kitchen at two am, answering questions not even Tom had dared to ask him yet, he’d have called you daft. Yet here he was, doing just that and all he could offer was a shrug. 

“Surely you must know?” Joe continued to push, a desperation in his eyes as they remained glued to Will’s form. “You’ve clearly got experience.”

Joe’s accusatory words hit Will physically, a sudden weight settling on his chest, because he was right. Will did have experience. Will had been remembering this other life since he was just a child, and yet he still couldn’t answer any of these questions. 

Of course he too wanted to know why. Why had they started? Why did they still happen? Why couldn’t he answer Joe’s question? 

He pressed the small of his back further into the counter, his hands still caught up between his spine and the hard marble surface. 

“Why can’t you just explain it?!”

“Because I don’t bloody know!”

Will hadn’t planned on snapping at Joe, but all of a sudden he was fed up of the older man assuming he had all of the answers.

“I know it might seem like I know what’s going on, but the truth is Joseph I don’t! I never have and I don’t think I ever will,” he refused to raise his voice, his words firm and calculated. “So can you just leave me the hell alone? I know it’s hard but we’re all finding it hard and there’s only so much advice I can give.” Will came to the end of his speech, his eyes meeting Joe’s for the first time since he’d entered the kitchen. 

The room fell silent as Will finished and Joe eventually broke their eye contact, looking back at his drink. Will watched him, waiting for him to speak up. His confidence was depleting with every passing second, maybe he had been too harsh?

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’ll uh… back off.” Joe mumbled, still staring into his mug. “Sorry.”

Will sighed, clearly he’d upset him. “Joe… I didn’t mean to-”

“No you’re right. I shouldn’t have turned on you like that,” Joe said. “I’m sorry.”

A little taken aback by the sudden change in mood, Will stood a little straighter and picked up his glass again, ignoring how his hand shook. “Don’t be. It’s stressful I get that.”

The pair fell into another thick silence, both of them looking away from the other to avoid any more confrontation. It was Joe that spoke up first, rising from the table as he did so. 

“Right, I’m off.” He muttered and Will watched as he tucked his chair back into place. “Goodnight Will.”

The younger man waited until he had reached the door before responding with his own quiet, “Goodnight.” 

After only a nod in response, Joe disappeared down the hallway, leaving Will alone with his thoughts again. 

-

When Will entered the kitchen the next morning, at a time much closer to noon than he’d like to admit, Tom was already sat at the table in the same spot his brother had occupied just hours earlier.

He slid in beside him, smiling softly as their shoulders brushed.

“Mornin’.” Tom returned the smile with a teasing one of his own. “I know I said we were on holiday, but you could have joined us before lunchtime.” 

“Leave it out,” Will whined with a roll of his eyes. He made sure to poke Tom in the side to prove he didn’t mean it. “Good morning Mrs Blake,” he added, nodding at the woman who was stood against the counter. 

She smiled at him over her mug, “You too Will, I hope you slept okay?”

Will nodded quickly. “Really well, thank you.” Once he had eventually drifted off he had slept wonderfully, and something told him if it wasn’t for the cold side of the bed in the morning, he’d have slept much longer. 

He could feel Tom’s gaze burning into the side of his face as he spoke, but he refused to look over, knowing exactly what his friend was thinking. However, now wasn’t the time so he just left Tom to work it out himself.

Mrs Blake began talking again, telling the pair about her encounter with the neighbour that morning, and sharing her trouble at the grocers recently. Although Will didn’t know a lot about the area, he was happy to listen, nodding along when Mrs Blake explained her frustrations about drivers on the country lanes. 

At some point a mug of tea was placed in front of him and Will looked up to see Tom placing his own down on the table before returning to his seat. Will took the warm mug gratefully between his hands, making a mental note of the tenderness in Tom’s actions. He couldn’t remember a time anyone had remembered how he took his tea, let alone knew when he needed it the most. 

“Thanks,” he whispered. He shot Tom a small smile and looked back up at Mrs Blake, who was now discussing her errands for the afternoon.

“Why don’t we do some Mum?” Tom cut in after a moment had passed. “It’ll give me the chance to show Will around more.”

Mrs Blake looked between the two men, and Will found himself nodding reassuringly even though he had no idea what these jobs would entail. 

“Only if you’re sure boys?” 

“We’d love to,” Will spoke this time. “I’d love to see more of the village.” 

That seemed to satisfy Mrs Blake as she easily relented and began showing the pair her list of errands, crossing off the ones she would do herself before folding it into Will’s hand. 

“Look after it, I don’t trust my son with anything these days.” She winked, leaning across the table to ruffle Tom’s hair when he opened his mouth to argue.

“Will do,” Will whispered, looking down at the small slip of paper before sliding it into his breast pocket. He knew it would be safe there. 

-

As his worn white trainers hit the cobbled pavement, Will was beginning to feel more and more at home in the small Village. Him and Tom had been wondering around for the past thirty minutes, the latter naming different buildings and pathways as they went. Every now and then he would connect a location with a story, making Will blink at him in the sunshine to confirm that it was just Tom beside him. 

Not that Tom could be just Tom. He always told his stories slightly different from Blake. He took the time to think about what he would say next, whereas Blake stumbled over his words in a desperation to say them before they could be taken away.

Will had struggled to understand him as a child. The rambling would overwhelm him when he woke at night, the words bouncing against the walls of his skull as he sat in the darkness. 

He was grateful for the difference. Tom spoke slowly, unlike every other part of him that seemed to race forwards with no thought of consequence. 

As they trekked through the village, Will found himself watching Tom more and more. He admired the way his eyes lit up as an old memory returned, one from his own childhood. The way his curls fell into his eyes and the blush that formed on his freckled nose when he admitted a schoolboy crush as they passed by the school. 

At one point they stepped into a grocery shop, Tom easily picking up the essentials on their list. Will only had to prompt him once, reminding him to pick up the broccoli. Of course Tom turned his nose up at that reminder, and Will was sure he heard him mumble something about the vegetable tasting downright awful.

“You okay with those bags?” Tom asked him as they made their way back onto the street. “I can take one if they’re too heavy.”

Will didn’t get a chance to respond though, as the second he opened his mouth someone from nearby spoke up and interrupted him.

“Thomas Blake?”

“Mrs Harris!” 

Will looked up to see Tom beaming at an older woman, probably old enough be Tom’s grandmother. He smiled awkwardly from the side of his mouth when she looked over, raising a bag filled hand in greeting.

“You must be Will!” She beamed.

Will’s eyes widened and he glanced across at Tom out of the corner of his eye. “I-” He coughed, nodding to himself. “Yes. Yeah that’s me.” Putting a bag down, he reached out to shake her hand.

“Tom’s mother has been talking about your visit all week, it’s lovely to meet you.” 

A hand landed on Will’s shoulder and he looked down at it sharply but when he turned his head to find its owner he relaxed into the touch. It was only Tom. He must have moved closer during his broken introduction.

Will stayed quiet as the younger man spoke up, responding to Mrs Harris. 

“It’s great to see you again,” Tom said. 

Will appreciated how when speaking, the younger man made it clear that they were occupied and not able to talk for long.

Mrs Harris simply smiled, her eyes travelling between the pair of them. She clearly noticed Tom’s hand resting on Will’s shoulder as her smile widened a little before she spoke again. “Well aren’t you two cute?! I’ll let you get on.”

She winked at them, adjusting her own bag on her arm. As she passed by she paused to gently pat Will’s arm, sending him another warm smile.

The pair watched her go and once she had rounded the corner, Tom began giggling softly. 

“What?” Will asked, frowning at his friend.

“Nothing just… you’ve gone all red!” Tom continued to giggle, poking Will playfully in the cheek which just made him blush more.

Will reached up and pressing a palm to his warm skin. “No I’m not!” He stuttered, lowering his hand quickly once he felt the heat. “I’m just hot.”

Tom rolled his eyes, picking up his shopping bags again. “Whatever you say Willie.”

Will ignored the nickname, stooping to grab his own bags and follow Tom when he started to walk again. 

While walking home, they made sure to take a different route so that Tom could show off a new set of locations. Will appreciated the effort, feeling that the more he knew about the place, the more he grew to understand both Blake and his best friend. 

However, just before they turned onto the country lane Tom grew quiet. Will, who had been admiring how the pavement was made up of pink paving squares, looked up at the unusual silence. 

“Everything okay?” He asked, lengthening his pace to catch up. 

“Yeah I just thought-”

Chin lifting in confusion, Will shuffled closer to see what Tom was looking at. “Oh.”

In front of them stood a memorial. 

At first glance Will had assumed it was like any other memorial you saw. A statue usually sharing the names of those who had been loved and lost to war over the years. However, as he stepped closer it became clearer as to why Tom had gone quiet. 

Etched into the stone was a familiar name. 

**Thomas Blake**

The other names seemed to fade into the background, Blake’s standing out amongst the jumble of letters. 

Of course Will had seen Blake’s name written down a number of times, though something seemed different this time and felt himself taking an involuntary step towards the monument. While Will had spent the majority of his life with the knowledge that Blake had died, he had always been far too focussed on the mission that had led the young man to his fate. 

Rarely ever did he consider the impact the young man’s life had made on those around him. He had been loveable, charming, and witty. He had been home for a lot of people. He had been Scho’s place away from home, his comfort. Without Tom, Scho would have never made it to the Devons on time for it was his words that had pushed him onwards. 

For the first time Will was beginning to understand that the young man had left a life behind, his family, his village, and Scho.

For the first time Will was beginning to realise that Thomas Blake had died. 

“Will…” Tom’s voice was barely above a whisper. Will felt his friend step forward, a hand gently resting on his bare arm. A shiver made its way down his spine, starting directly from the point of contact. 

“He-”

“I know.” Tom was even closer now, his shoulder brushing against Will’s. “I’m sorry.”

It was all the young man could offer. Will knew that much, and he appreciated the sentiment all the same. 

A few moments passed, neither man moving nor looking away from the name.

It was Will that moved first, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a tissue. Inside was a pull-tab, like the ones you find on a can of fizzy drink.

He slowly pulled away from Tom’s touch and moved closer to the memorial. Once close enough he dropped down onto his knee and set it against the stone step, right below Blake’s name. 

“Is that from yesterday?” Tom asked. He kept his voice low and Will was grateful. 

“Yeah,” Will murmured, stepping back a little a little. “A bit of Tin.”

They stood in silence for a moment longer, both of them looking at the small piece of metal as though it represented every inch of recognition Blake had fought for. 

“Shame it hasn’t got a ribbon.” Tom spoke up, letting out a short laugh as Will stepped away.

Will couldn’t help but giggle a little, wiping away a stray tear as he joined his friend on the pavement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> If you could let me know what you think it would be greatly appreciated :)


	9. Dream of me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little longer than usual  
> I was really excited to write this chapter so I hope you enjoy it! :)

He’s running. 

His feet overtake one another, carrying him forward in an almost hopeless sprint. The ground is uneven and his ankles roll as his worn boots hit the solid surface. It’s different to the cold slime of the no man’s land he had crossed just the day before, it’s fresh. 

Lungs burning, he continues to run. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. The mantra dares to play out in his head but is quickly silenced by the wheezing sound he is making. Every breath leaves his body at the same time that his foot hits the floor, rushing out of him with little room for an exhale. 

A whistle sounds somewhere to his left and just like that a wave of men come barrelling over the top, darting either side of him and blocking his view. Everything blurs together, the men rushing past at such a speed he can barely see them. Faceless soldiers running towards a trap. A trap he was supposed to save them from.

He continues running, his head spinning. For a moment he panics, sure he has been turned around amongst the crowd. He’s facing the wrong way, he won’t make it, he-

A solid mass collides with his side and he stumbles slightly before hitting the floor completely. He puts his left hand down to try and catch himself, but it only sends a lighting bolt of pain up his arm. 

As his cheek meets the ground he realises the surface is no long still, it is shaking. For the first time since he’s started running he registers that shells are landing either side of him. Danger. 

He hadn’t made it on time, they had been sent over already. Finding his feet again, he starts to stumble forward. He picks up speed with every step, the toe of his own boot hitting the other as he tries to make his legs move faster than they are capable.

He needs to be faster. He needs to save them. 

The men are still flooding onto the field, their movements making him dizzy again, confusing him. He hears another whistle in the distance and suddenly he’s turning back to the trench. 

With no time for hesitation, he jumps. His knees scream at the impact, but he overlooks it in favour of limping forward. He can see the door he just needs to reach it.

Firm hands hit his arms, pushing him backwards away from his goal. He struggles against them but it’s no use he’s too weak, too exhausted. 

“Let me through!” 

He feels the words leave him, but he can’t hear them. 

A dull buzz has surrounded him now and he’s not sure what the men in front of him are saying either. 

“Let me through!”

They won’t listen. Why won’t they listen?! 

“I have to get through. I have to see Colonel Mackenzie!”

Are they stupid?! It’s a trap! They’re running into a god damn trap!

He’s pushed back against a wall and his head collides with it, but it doesn’t matter, his head’s already spinning anyway. 

“I have to stop this attack-”

He pushes past the men and this time he skirts past the resistance. The doorway looms closer and he lunges forward to make it inside before it is too late. 

“Colonel!”

-

Will startled awake, his body jolting upwards before he could even register that he was laying down. The words, still warm on his lips, slipped out as a whisper into the dark room. 

He could feel himself pitching forward but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it wasn’t real. He sat firmly upright with only the dizzying spin of his head to tell him otherwise.

Shivers overtook Will’s body and he leaned forward to collect his long forgotten sheets from the end of his bed. On contact with the crumpled fabric, a hot pain began to sear across his hand, making him drop them as quickly as he’d picked them up. 

Will let out a hiss and used his right hand to lift the injured one to be level with his eye so that he could inspect the damage. As always, there was nothing to see. 

The sharp stabbing continued with every movement and he leaned forward again to pull the sheets up with his good hand. 

He could tell by the light leaking in above his bedroom curtains that is must have been close to sunrise, but he refused to look over at his bedside clock out of fear that it would be far too bright. 

Will remained still, the sheets now bundled in his lap but providing no relief from the chill that was slowly spreading across his body. The room continued to tilt slightly and even after blinking heavily for a few moments, Will found it stubbornly remained that way. 

From his spot on the mattress, he began to assess the damage done by the dream. Besides the invisible wound on his hand, the rest of his body felt relatively unharmed. His head on the other hand was a different story. 

A tight throbbing bounced across the base of his skull and any movement left Will teetering dangerously on the edge of unconsciousness. Ever so slowly he decided to lift his legs and swing them off of the end of his bed but he only got as far as sliding them out from beneath the sheets. 

From his new slightly turned position, Will could see his bedside table and the red glaring light of his alarm clock. He shifted his gaze a little, letting it wander across the blurry numbers. 

**5.45**

Not too early, probably enough time that could get himself up and ready for work.

Most other days he’d have called in sick, his hushed tone making it very clear he was suffering immensely. However, Tom and himself had only just arrived home the night before and he couldn’t afford to miss the first day back after an entire weekend of neglecting his work. 

Pushing that idea aside he briefly considered texting Tom and asking his advice. While the younger man would most likely be asleep Will was sure he’d answer in no time once he’d heard his phone. Will didn’t dwell on that idea for too long though as he knew that this kind of thing hadn’t happened for a while now. Since he had found Tom the dreams had become just that. Dreams. 

It had been months since he had woken so disoriented and weak, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to share that with Tom. Not just yet anyway. 

Closing his eyes, Will felt around on the bed for his phone. He had fallen asleep with it in his hand the night before, too exhausted to get up and plug it in. After a few seconds of patting he found it under his pillow and managed to turn it on, looking through the tips of his eyelashes to avoid the light. 

He could make out two messages from Tom and he could only assume they had come through shortly after he’d dozed off.

_Mum says she’d like us to go back soon – she clearly loved you_

_Goodnight Will_

Will sighed, his head pulsing angrily with the abrupt exhale. He couldn’t leave Tom alone at work. Even if he did the young man would probably turn up at his flat, demanding to be let in. 

He wasn’t sure which fate he’d prefer.

After another long moment where Will just sat, swaying precariously on the edge of his bed, he concluded that he needed to get up. Sooner rather than later. 

It was easier said than done, but an hour and a half later Will was dressed, and with a lukewarm cup of coffee in his hand he left his flat, ready to brave the hustle and bustle that was the underground. 

-

Despite leaving the house at his usual time, Will stumbled into work almost twenty minutes late. By the time he had scooped up his copy of the paper and made it to his floor a stack of work was already piled up on his desk. 

Glaring at the pile as he dropped his bag onto the floor, he decided to ignore that for the time being, unsure if his headache could handle the printed words. Instead he pulled up his emails and began to scan through them. Over the long weekend the new guy, Miller, had sent him nearly thirty. Some of them even covered the same subject. 

Will exhaled slowly through his teeth and proceeded to open the most recent one. Just as he had expected it included a list of jobs he had failed to complete. Great. 

The morning moved slowly, and Will spent most of it typing out replies to emails, completing small tasks and avoiding the stack of papers that occupied the corner of his desk.

He knew he’d have to read over them eventually, but in that moment he wanted nothing more than to curl up in a dark room for a few hours. 

A tension began to build up in his shoulders and by the time he stopped for lunch he found it impossible to straighten up. Leaning forward, Will let his elbow rest on the desk and he used it to prop up his head. As his eyes finally fell shut he noticed that the desk was still uneven and it rocked ever so slightly beneath him. 

He couldn’t bring himself to care though, and for just a moment he let his mind drift off. He wouldn’t fall asleep, he just needed to stop, just for a moment. 

Unfortunately, his short relief didn’t last long, as not long later a knock sounded at the door, followed by Olivia’s voice. 

“Will?”

At first he didn’t say anything, instead he kept his eyes shut and painfully willed her to go away. Clearly it didn’t work though as she tried again a second later, this time pushing the door open.

“Will?”

Will opened his eyes, staring across at her as she slipped into the room. Much to his chagrin a thick wad of paper was held tightly in her hand, most likely more work for him to complete. Brilliant.

“You okay?” Olivia asked quietly and Will forced himself to sit up again as she came closer. 

He grunted, shrugging a little. “Yeah, just tired is all.” 

Olivia had reached his desk now and as always she made herself at home on the edge of it. The whole thing rocked uneasily beneath her weight but Will couldn’t find it in himself to tell her off. 

“You sure?” She prodded. “If I’m being honest, you look like shit.”

He snorted but instantly regret it as sparks of pain flared up in his temples. “Thanks Liv.” 

“I’m serious Will, what happened?” Olivia murmured.

Will shrugged again, grateful when his friend lowered her voice a little. “Nothing just- just a rough night.” He murmured, his eyes falling shut again as he leaned back in his chair. “Think I need a nap,” he yawned. 

“Do you want me to get Tom?” Olivia whispered. Her voice sounded much closer now and Will assumed she had leaned towards him, for he could feel her breath as she spoke. 

“What? No!” Will’s eyes flew open and he leaned against the arm of his chair so that he was sitting up a little more. 

His response surprised himself as well as Olivia as she pulled away again. “Why not? He’d happily come sit with you.”

Will ignored the pointed look she sent him, instead turning his attention to a loose thread on his trousers. “I’m fine, he doesn’t need bothering just because I’m tired. It’s unprofessional.” 

Olivia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. In any other circumstances Will would have scoffed at her stubbornness, she always reminded him of a small child when she acted like this. 

“You can talk to me too you know?” She asked after a few seconds had passed. “I don’t mind.”

Will just nodded softly, looking up to meet her eyes. “I know I just- It’s complicated.”

Olivia simply rose an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed. “Complicated?”

“Yes.”

“Complicated how?”

Will shrugged and lifted his hand to rub the sleeve of his jumper against his temple, anything to ease the throbbing that was making itself more and more known. 

“Just is,” Will mumbled. 

Olivia frowned and Will could feel her eyes studying him. For a moment he considered trying to look more alive than he felt, but he quickly brushed that idea aside the second he realised it would involve moving. 

“Will… you’re clearly not okay.”

Will looked down at his trousers again, hating how easily she was able to read him. “I’m fine Liv, honestly.”

“No you’re not!” 

“I’m just tired, please just leave it.” Will turned back to his laptop and opened up another email in an attempt to change the subject and move on. “Did you bring in something for me to look at?”

“Will…” 

Will ignored her again in favour of moving past the topic, he didn’t want to talk about it. Any of it. “I can take a look at it later, just add it to the pile.”

“Seriously Will you can’t just ign-”

“I said I’m fine!”

He hadn’t planned on snapping and he instantly regret it. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see the way Olivia flinched, having not expected him to raise his voice. He never did, he was always calm and collected even in an argument. 

His words bounced around his own head and ignited a bolder flash of pain that stood out in stark contrast to the dull irritation that had plagued him before. 

Will opened his mouth to apologise but found himself unable to speak. His eyes stung as the invisible gash across his hand reopened at the movement and Olivia must have mistaken them for tears as she stood up from his desk.

“I’ll uh, just leave this here…” she whispered. Will watched as she hesitated beside him briefly before slowly walking towards the door.

“Thank you,” He finally muttered as she made her way out, and he was relieved to see she had heard him as she sent him a small smile before shutting the door and leaving him alone in his office. 

-

The rest of the day went by undisturbed, the only sound filtering into the office that of Miller’s emails filling Will’s inbox. 

It was near the end of the day that Will noticed that he was yet to see Tom. The man always stopped by on his way to get coffee, whether that’s to say hi or offer Will some, and even though he had made it very clear he wanted to be left alone, it still hurt a little that his friend hadn’t come by to see him. 

The evening grew closer and Will was still overrun with work. The emails had stopped coming through shortly after four pm as Miller had left the office, yet the pile of files still sat untouched on the corner of the desk. 

Eyeing them warily, Will leaned over and picked them up. There weren’t many, however a lot of them were extremely detailed and long, leaving him with a lot to read. The pain in his head had subsided a bit, so with no excuse to avoid it, Will began reading through the reports. 

He made it through the first two before the lights in the hallway turned off, alerting him that he was now the last one in the building. That was okay though, he preferred it that way. It was quite peaceful actually, the sun spent longer in the sky now that it was nearing the end of May and it lit up his office without overwhelming him, unlike the ceiling lights. 

Will relaxed into a steady rhythm of note making and reading and before long he was nearing the end of his pile, only faltering when he picked up one with a big label on it. 

**TOM**

Now Will already knew all about this article, he could most likely annotate it without even reading it. He put it to one side though, choosing to look through it in his own time. The article seemed much more personal and he wanted to take it in slowly, appreciating every word. 

As he set it down his phone buzzed on the desk, lighting up with a new text message.

_I’m outside please let me in_

What?

Tom was outside? Where? 

Before Will had the chance to text back though, his phone began to ring and he scooped it up eagerly, hating the grating noise of it bouncing against the wooden surface. 

“Hello?”

“Hey Will, I brought Chinese, let me in?”

Oh. 

Will frowned, Tom must be outside his flat. But why? They hadn’t planned anything. 

“I- I’m not at home…”

“Oh. Will you be long? I’m gettin’ weird looks standing out here.”

Will jumped up and began stuffing papers into his bag. “I’m at work still… Look just buzz number seven and get Daphne to let you in.” He glanced around quickly, checking he had everything. 

“Wait no, I’ll come to you.” Tom’s voice was muffled through the phone and Will realised he was walking away from his flat. 

He froze, his bag hanging over his shoulder, half open. “What?”

"I’ll come to you; we’ll eat at the office.” 

Will hesitated, pressing his phone closer to his ear so that he could hear Tom better. “Are you sure? I can be there in like-”

“I’m sure, I’ll see you in like ten minutes yeah?”

Relief flood over Will; glad he could avoid rushing through the underground. “Okay,” he breathed, letting his bag fall back down onto the floor. 

“I’ll see you soon.”

“See you then.”

-

Less than fifteen minutes later, the door to Will’s office swung open and Tom appeared from behind it.

“Hi,” he said, shuffling inside with a carrier bag full of food. 

Will smiled weakly up at him, tossing aside the report he had been trying to look it with little success. “Hey, we weren’t planning on meeting up were we?” He asked quickly. Ever since Tom had called he’d been worrying that he had forgotten something. 

“No,” Tom shrugged, putting the bag down on the table. “I just thought you might want something to eat…”

“Olivia told you didn’t she?” Will asked. He leant back in his chair and looking up at the younger man.

Tom just smiled awkwardly back, a hand flying up to scratch at the back of his neck. “Yeah…” 

“Right, remind me to never trust her again,” Will huffed, though it was clear he was joking. He was beginning to feel a little better now, the pain in his hand had faded away completely and it wouldn’t be long before his head followed suit. 

Tom huffed at him, beginning to place containers of food down on the desk. “She means well, she was really worried about you.”

“Really?” Will asked, a little surprised at that, he had shouted at her after all. 

“Yeah, she kept on saying you weren’t yourself.”

Will hummed softly in response. He owed her an apology, and maybe a thank you. If Tom hadn’t turned up with food he’d have probably forgotten to eat all together. 

“Hey,” He said after the moment had passed. “Let’s eat on the floor, no point squeezing it all on my desk.”

Tom nodded, sending Will another smile. Together the pair began to move their food onto the floor and settle down to eat. As they ate, Will began to notice that Tom had got him his exact order, right down getting the satay chicken without sauce. It was nice, and he found a warmth spreading through his chest at the gesture.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, joking back and forth every now and then. At one point Will got up to turn his laptop off as the incessant ringing of his inbox had returned after just a few short hours. 

“So,” Tom started as Will sat down on the carpet again. “Joe called me earlier.”

“He did?” Will looked up from where he had been shovelling a noodle into his mouth. “What did he say?”

“He was just asking questions really, wanted to learn a little more I guess.” Tom shrugged, poking his fork around.

Will watched him and began to roll his shoulders a little when he noticed a tension settling back in. “Like what?” 

“Just the usually y’know? How? Why? When?” Tom put his container down and looked up at Will again. “I did uh tell him about your book…”

“My book? As in my grandfather’s one?” Will had shown Tom the book a few weeks beforehand after the younger man had mentioned not seeing many photos of Blake during the war. Of course the one of their great grandfather’s had instantly sprung to mind. It was his favourite after all. 

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind.”

Will shook his head quickly. “No, no of course not. What did he say about it?”

“He uh-” Now Tom looked guilty. “He wants to see it…”

“Oh.” 

“I did tell him it was completely up to you though! It is your book after all, I only said I’d ask.” Tom jumped in quickly.

“I mean… Would he come here? Or does he want me to send him it?” God Will hoped not. He barely knew the man! 

“I’m not sure, but I think that’s your decision to make,” Tom said. “Of course you don’t have to agree at all.”

Will hummed softly, looking down at his food. “Can I have some time to think about it?” He asked, pulling his lip up in between his teeth.

“Take all the time you need.”

Will looked up again and nodded across at his best friend. “Thank you,” he whispered.

They sat in silence for a few moments before they began picking at their food again. The only sound flooding the room was that of the clock ticking over in the corner. 

“Will?” Tom spoke just as they were coming to the end of their meal.

Will looked up from where he had been wiping his hands with a tissue. “Mm?

“You know I’m on your side yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Will smiled. “I do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> If you could let me know what you think that would be greatly appreciated :)


	10. Stay with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will isn't doing too great, but luckily Tom's there to help out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while and I'm really sorry!  
> Life had to go somewhat back to 'normal' and my schedule didn't like that.  
> I am back though and I hope to slowly bring back an update schedule!

The nights following the first nightmare, Will found it almost impossible to sleep. He’d toss and turn into the early hours of the morning, his mind running a mile a minute on a hopeless mission to avoid drifting off. For the first time in months he was scared. Scared to face the dreams and the truth that was Scho’s life. 

One night, about a week later, Will found himself wondering how the soldier himself coped with the memories, surely he had struggled, the man had lived through the bloody thing after all. 

Brushing aside the voice that scolded him for his cowardice, Will rolled out of bed, and began digging around in his wardrobe for his grandfather's’ book. Upon finding it he settled down on the carpet at the foot of his bed to flick through the pages in search of an answer. Unfortunately, nothing stood out. 

It didn’t matter though, as Will found himself relaxing little by little as he turned the pages. The reminder that Scho had made it out on the other side, quickly chasing away his fears. Of course every so often a reminder of Blake and that loss of a friend came to light, but if Will were quick enough he could move on without seeing his best friends face appear upon the paper. 

Soon enough, Will began to drift off, his back pressed up against the wooden bedframe and his grandfather's book open in his lap.

-

It didn’t take long for the old book to become a statement within Will’s evening routine. After the first night Will had decided to keep the book on his bedside table, just in case. Unfortunately, this just made it easier for him to flick through the pages, searching for that reassurance the familiar photos served him. The proof of survival he needed to survive.

The nightmares eased off for the first few nights, with Schofield only appearing in brief flashes. Though the relief was brief, and before long Will found himself setting aside time before bed to read through the book. 

At first it was just a couple pages, a chance to look at the photos. Then it was the letters, and then it was the swatches of uniform that had been taped haphazardly to the thick paper. 

Then it was the entire book.

Will panicked easily when the nightmares were bad, the exhaustion plaguing his days and taunting him at night. He wasn’t obsessed, but Will found it helped to know where the book was at all times. Just in case.

At first he simply carried it around while at home, depositing it on the kitchen table so that it was nearby as he wandered around his flat. 

The first time he had taken it to work wasn’t for his own use. No it had been so that Tom could take some photos of it to send to Joe. Following their original discussion, Will had confessed to his best friend that he didn’t know Joe well enough to send the book off for god knows how long, and being the understanding man he was, Tom had completely understood. 

Instead Joe had planned to visit Tom sometime in the fast approaching summer, so that they could discuss the situation and so that the pair could answer his questions properly. In the meantime, Tom was fuelling his brother’s interest with snippets of information. 

He hadn’t planned on it but taking the book into work that day had calmed Wills nerves a great deal more than he had expected. So the following day he did the same.

Just like that, the book became a warm weight in Will’s bag and it wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up with a cheek pressed against the scratchy carpet of his bedroom floor. Just like he had on that first night. 

-

“Will, hey!”

Will didn’t turn around at the voice behind him. He was trailing towards the coffee machine for the second time that morning and the walk from his office was feeling more and more unbearable with each step.

“Will!” 

It was Tom, and if the echo of his footsteps said anything, he was catching up.

“Will, I know you’re ignoring me!”

Will turned around on the heel of his trainer, the ridged rubber sole catching on the fluffy rug someone had placed in front of the machine. 

“Hmmm?” He asked, raising a hand so that he could rub the knitted sleeve of his jumper against his forehead. “I’m not ignoring you.”

Tom scoffed, and while Will had yet to look up from the floor, he could already see the way his best friends’ eyes rolled in their sockets.

“You are, and you know it,” Tom started and Will watched out of the corner of his eyes as he moved aside for someone else to use the coffee machine. “I’ve barely heard from you in two days and – are you okay?”

While Tom had began to recite his, most likely rehearsed, side of the argument, Will had made the bold decision to lift his head. He regret it instantly.

The room spun at the movement, his fisted sleeve dropping down to press against his eye. He felt himself tilt with the room but Tom’s hand, had latched onto his elbow before he could so much as sway.

“Hey, sit down yeah?” 

Will could hear Tom’s voice but he wasn’t sure how close it was. Well it must have been nearby as he could still feel the other man’s grip against his arm. “No… can we just-” he blinked, his vision clearing slightly now that the dizziness had passed. “Can we just go to my office?” he started again, putting a little more effort than necessary into making sure his voice sounded even.

He didn’t need to look around to know the nosy assistant from their floor was watching them from her desk and he wanted nothing less than to provide her a show. 

Will didn’t pick up Tom’s answer but he must have agreed because just a few moments later they were in his office and he was being lowered down into his chair, with a water bottle being pushed into his hand. Tom’s water bottle. 

“you’re s’posed to drink from it.”

Looking up, Will realised he must have spent to long looking at the water for Tom’s liking, so he shot him a weak smile before drinking from the bottle, grateful for the younger man’s teasing words. 

They existed in silence for a few minutes, Will sipping at the water and Tom standing before him with his arms crossed, watching. Eventually he must have decided that enough colour had returned to Will’s face as he spoke up again.

“What was that about huh?” He asked, leaning against the nearby desk and Will cringed as it rocked beneath his weight.

Shrugging, Will simply took another sip of water to avoid speaking.

“Well I’ve got all day for you to tell me, because I can’t finish my work until I receive an email from one of my colleagues, and I don’t think he’ll be sending me it anytime soon.”

While Tom’s words were light, the meaning sent a shudder through Will’s frame. He’d fallen behind… a lot, and as a result still hadn’t read through Tom’s article. 

“‘m sorry…” Will murmured, his eyes locked on Tom’s feet. “I’ll do it, I’m just really behind at the moment.”

Will waited for a response, for Tom to get angry, but he didn’t. Instead he just heard a sigh and watched as his best friend crouched down in front of him and placed a steady hand on his knee.

Will looked up and their eyes met. Neither man looked away and Will found himself growing uncomfortable, choosing to pull his bottom lip up in between his teeth as they sat in heavy silence. 

It was Tom that spoke up first, his thumb swiping back and forth against the creased fabric of Will’s trousers.

“What’s going on Will?” His voice was hushed and comforting but Will felt as though Tom was looking straight through him, as though he already knew the answer.

He shrugged again, all of a sudden feeling small. “I don’t know.” He cursed internally as his voice broke and he bit down harder on his bottom lip to keep it from wobbling.

Tom nodded, his head bobbing across Will’s line of vision. “Okay, that’s okay,” he reassured, his thumb continuing its pattern on the older man’s knee. “Is your head hurtin’?” He had clearly noticed Will rubbing at his forehead but didn’t want to draw attention to it.

Will nodded softly, still taking sips from the water bottle as Tom began to search through the desk draw beside him for some pain relief. He produced it just moments later and dropped two pills into Will’s hand, watching him take them. 

Once again they fell into a silence and Will could practically hear Tom’s brain whirring away while his eyes darted over him, examining him.

He squirmed uncomfortably and looked up to meet his best friends’ eyes again. “I’m fine, Tom. Just really need some sleep,” He chuckled, the sound falling flat. 

“Why don’t ya go home?” Tom pressed, raising a kind eyebrow at Will. “Go get some?”

“I can’t,” Will admitted quietly.

“Oh.” 

Just as the moment was about to grow awkward, there was a knock at the door and it swung open before either of them had the opportunity to answer. 

They both looked up and Tom rose to his feet at such a speed Will was surprised he didn’t topple over. 

“Sir,” Tom greeted, nodding at the gentleman stood in the doorway, who Will was able to recognise as Miller.

“Blake.” 

As much as he wanted too, Will fought to keep his gaze from drifting across to Tom at the name. Instead he choose to press the sole of his trainer into the foot of his chair to prevent a shudder from dancing up his spine. 

“Schofield.” 

Miller’s voice was stern and Will hated it with every ounce of his being, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it other than to take a deep breath and lock his eyes on the man on the other side of the desk.

“Sir,” Will murmured, offering a nod. “What can I do for you?” He set Tom’s bottle down on the table and turned in his seat so that he could sit at his desk properly. 

Miller seemed to take this as an invitation to step closer and Will watched as his hand fell onto the pile of files perched on the corner of his desk with a heavy thud. “These,” he started, voice raising immediately. “These were expected back on my desk, yesterday morning.”

Will could practically feel the confusion dripping from Tom as the man stood beside him, but he ignored him, instead focussing all of his energy on holding up a neutral front. “Yes, Sir.”

“And yet they’re still here? You see Schofield I expected a lot more from -”

Millers voice faded out and Will just watched him continue on his rampage, words flying out of his mouth at a speed even Tom wouldn’t be able to match. Will was able to drop in a nod and a few murmurings of agreement here and there. He was expecting the man to eventually finish his speech, leaving Will to make empty promises of completion and with a new load of work on top of his original pile. However it never got that far.

“Mr Miller.” It was Tom’s voice, piping up from beside Will and cutting off the executive. “Will here was just about to head home. He’s got a migraine you see and he was stupid enough to drag himself here when clearly he’s in no state to be doing so.”

Will snapped his head round to glare at Tom, but movement sent a burst of pain crackling against his temples, proving Tom’s point perfectly. 

“Is that so?” Miller looked between them both, his eyes inspecting them and Will suddenly grew conscious of how close they were standing. Too close almost.

“Yep, I was just offering to help carry his stuff down, so If you don’t mind we should be heading off.” 

Will had never felt more grateful for Tom than he did right then. The way Miller’s eyebrows rose at Tom’s insistence seemed almost comical and had he not been ready to curl up under his desk, Will would have struggled to hold back a laugh. Daring one final look in Miller’s direction as he backed away with the new pile of work still in his hands, Will felt himself relax back into his chair, sending mental apologies to whichever colleague had to cover him. 

“You okay?” Tom whispered once the door had clicked shut. “I’m sorry if I overstepped there, but I wasn’t about to let him rip into you like that-”

“It’s fine, Tom,” Will cut him off, picking up Tom’s bottle again. “Thank you, I think you’re right.”

Will sat quietly as Tom reached over to power off his laptop and slide it into his bag. The movements were natural and neither man seemed to mind when their shoulders collided, the fabric of their jumpers creating static as it brushed together. 

And who was to blame Will for leaning into it a little? Certainly not Tom. 

-

Will ended up taking himself home, claiming that it wasn’t necessary for Tom to fall behind too, because despite his earlier accusation, Will knew he still had a lot of work to do.

Upon arriving home, Will was able to toe off his trainers and lose his jacket before he collapsed onto the sofa. The rest of the day passed by in a haze and by the time he awoke from his very light nap it was dark out.

He wasn’t sure what had woken him at first, his eyes feeling heavy and stubborn. Instead he let out a little grunt, leaning forward on his side as though the small noise would scare away any criminal that may have let themselves in. 

“Hey…”

Except that wasn’t a burglar, no Will knew that voice, and he was fairly positive burglars didn’t usually stop to make small talk… or to play with his hair for that matter.

With a little more effort than usual, Will pulled his eyes open to see who had woken him. 

“Hey,” the voice, Tom he now noted, started again. “I hope you don’t mind I uh- I got your neighbour to buzz me in and you left the door unlocked…”

Will frowned, his eyebrows pulled together as he tried to remember where he was. He knew he was in his apartment, but it wasn’t normal for him to fall asleep on the sofa. He probably looked a right state and for the first time ever, Will found himself worried about how he looked in front of Tom. They had woken up beside one another many times before, but this time was different for some reason, It was making Will feel vulnerable and he didn’t like it.

His confusion must have shown on his face as Tom instantly retracted his hand from Will’s hair, his cheeks lighting up in embarrassment. “Sorry, you wouldn’t wake up and I thought if I –”

“It’s nice,” Will whispered, a little upset that the soothing sensation of Toms fingers brushing against his scalp had disappeared. 

“Oh, Okay,” Tom chuckled, his hand making its way back to its previous position and Will felt the sofa dip as he sat down on the edge. “You get much sleep?” Tom asked, his voice hushed. 

Will couldn’t help but gravitate towards his best friend, rolling over sightly so that Tom’s thigh was now cushioning his cheek, his face hidden against the rough fabric of the man’s work trousers. “A little,” his words were muffled but Tom must have heard them as he hummed softly in response.

They sat for a moment, Tom’s hand never pausing and Will beginning to wonder if this was how Trevor felt when found his way onto their laps during one of their late night movie marathons. 

“I uh, tried to call you,” Tom said after they had settled down again, a yawn slipping past his own lips as he let his back fall against the armrest behind Will’s head. “I figured you were asleep though, so just ignore those.”

Will just sighed happily, peeking an eye open to look up at Tom, who was now looking straight ahead and out of the window. “You didn’t need to come over but thank you.”

“’course, I wasn’t just gonna send ya home and forget about ya now was I?” Tom teased with a shrug. “I hope you don’t mind me asking your neighbours to let me in?” He asked, sounding nervous all of a sudden, as though he had overstepped somehow. 

“No.” Will shuffled again so that his head was now completely in Tom’s lap. “But if you want there’s a spare key hanging up in the kitchen,” he yawned softly. “Take it.”

He couldn’t see Tom’s face but he felt his hand freeze, a strand of hair still curled around his finger. “You sure?” Will could also hear the hesitance in his voice, but if he were sure of anything, it was this.

“Yeah, you’re here enough,” he breathed, nodding his head beneath Tom’s touch. 

Tom laughed in response, the action jostling Will slightly but he didn’t mind. “Is this you asking me to move in?” He asked, his words sounded playful but Will could easily hear the sincerity behind them.

“Maybe,” Will whispered, looking up at him. That hadn’t been the initial idea but when Tom put it like that it just sounded right. After all they spent most of their time either together or talking to each other. Tom moving in seemed like a reasonable idea. A brilliant idea. 

“Well then, I guess you’re stuck with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed it and if you could let me know what you think that would be greatly appreciated :)


	11. Spend the night with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom convinces Will to join him and the others for a night out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with how this chapter ended up so I hope you enjoy it!

Will watched Tom’s back as he made himself a cup of coffee in an uncomfortably bright mug that was shaped to look like Stitch from the film Lilo and Stitch, Tom’s favourite. It wasn’t unusual for the pair to spend mornings together, particularly after Tom chose to stay over at the weekend, what was special about this morning though, was that it had been his first night as a permanent residence, and something about that made a warmth bloom in Will’s chest. 

Yes he complained a lot about Tom making him stay up later than usual and that they didn’t need to order take away when Will’s fridge was perfectly full, but the idea that he wouldn’t spend the night alone again seemed to reassure him. For the first time in years he was beginning to realise that maybe company wasn’t so bad after all.

It had started out gradually at first. Tom had taken the spare key home with him after staying the night, it wasn’t long before he used it to let himself in every so often. Then he started bringing food over with him, leaving it in the fridge so that it was there when he was around. Next was a spare change of clothes, which was quickly followed by shampoo, because apparently Will’s made his head itch. 

Before long Tom had announced that he was ready to join him full time. It had been mentioned in passing as they sat watching a documentary about a nearby cat shelter. Will had joked that one of the kittens looked a lot like Trevor, and that perhaps he should adopt a young friend for the feline. Tom had simply sat up a little, kicking Will’s ankle with his own socked foot.

“I can bring him over if ya want?” 

“Hmmm?” 

“Trev, he’s pretty much on his own over there, I should bring him over.”

Will had looked up at Tom, the back of his neck heating up as he realised their feet where now sat upon one another, the weight of Tom’s becoming evident on his now numb ankles. “Go for it,” he’d smiled. “I miss him to be honest.”

“No!” Tom gasped dramatically, kicking Will again, a little harder this time. “Is Mr ‘I don’t want cat hair in my Kitchen!’ admitting that he secretly loves a cat?!” 

“I mean I don’t _love_ him!” Will had whined in response, rolling his eyes, and sliding down a little further. He had been sat sideways on the sofa while Tom faced forwards so as he moved his feet had found their way into the younger man’s lap. “I just miss having him around is all.”

Tom had just looked at him, eyes scanning over Will’s face before he’d smiled a small cheeky grin that made Will squirm.

“What? Is there something on my face?” He’d asked, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

“No, No,” Tom had been quick to defend after a brief moment of silence where Will could still feel his eyes on him. “I’ll bring him over,” He said quickly. “Then I guess I’ve moved in proper,” at that he had let out a small chuckle, a sound that encouraged Will to uncover his eyes again.

“Yes. I guess you have.”

After that Tom moved in completely, Trevor joining him and making himself right at home. 

“So,” Tom smiled, turning around to place his mug of coffee on the table beside Will’s. “Got any plans for tonight?” 

“Tonight?” Will asked, chewing on the end of a pen that he had just been using to add to a shopping list he kept in the kitchen. “Work most likely.”

Tom just shot him an exasperated look, leaning back in his chair, and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “After that,” he whined. 

One thing Will was sure he’d never get used to was Tom’s odd habit of getting dressed in comfortable clothing such as jogging bottoms and hoodies for breakfast, before changing again for work. Surely they were weekend clothes? Not something to be worn daily. Though Will hadn’t been surprised to learn that Tom actually owned more hoodies than he did work shirts. “Work,” Will grinned but quickly hid behind his mug. He found amusement in how easy it was to wind Tom up in the mornings.

“You can’t possible work all day!” Tom huffed, shooting Will a pained look. “You’ll go mad!”

“Tell that to Miller,” Will shrugged. Even after Tom had interrupted Miller’s tirade just a few weeks before, the man hadn’t let up on the ridiculous amount of work he was giving Will. If anything it had increased. 

Tom scoffed and Will looked up in time to see him take an angry sip from his mug. “Why?” He asked, still interested in Tom’s plans despite his own reluctance.

“I was thinkin’ we could go out,” Tom suggested. He was tugging at the string poking out from his hood now, something Will noticed he only did when nervous. “Some others from work are going, it could be fun?”

Will could feel himself growing tense, a hand unconsciously drifting up so that he could chew on a loose hangnail. Of course Tom wanted to go and see the others from work, it wasn’t uncommon for the group to go out. However, Will himself had never joined them, for he preferred to keep to himself once the office shut, going about his evening in the same order he always did. Well until Tom had come along that was. 

“I-,” He glanced up at Tom, unsure of when he had looked away in the first place. “Who’s going?”

He must have said the right thing because Tom dropped the string again and his face seemed to lighten up. “Uh, Liv, Leslie, I think Cooke and some of the other lads maybe?” 

As he rattled off the list, Will couldn’t help but look away again. It wasn’t that he disliked any of their colleagues, it was just that other than Liv, he couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken to any of them. They probably hated him, or at least thought strangely of him.

“You don’t have to come…” Tom’s voice softened, “I just thought it’d be fun, and besides, I’ll go mad without you Mate.”

Will couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips and he ducked his head to try hide it from Tom, but he was too slow.

“See! You’ll enjoy it!” 

God Tom was like a child begging for sugar, always persuading him to do things that were most likely not a good idea. 

“I’ll think about it, okay?” Will sighed, though it was clear there wasn’t too much weight to his words. If this was like any other time, he’ll give in by the end of the day, plus there was no hope for him once Tom had relayed his words onto Olivia. 

Tom grinned and began to rise to his feet, but not before patting Will on the shoulder. “Great! Just lemme know, yeah?” 

Will nodded, absentmindedly picking up Tom’s abandoned mug and carrying it over to the sink. It wasn’t unusual for the others to go out on a Friday night, and Will had been invited on numerous occasions, but it just wasn’t his thing. 

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, choosing to make up his mind closer to the time, and went to wait for Tom by the door.

-

Of course, by the time the day drew to the end Will was as overwhelmed with work as always, and it didn’t help that Olivia had slipped a note into her paperwork asking if he would be joining them that night. He’d tried his very hardest to ignore it, but the thought of two invites unsettled him slightly. He felt trapped. 

While he knew it could be fun, things had been changing constantly for the past few months and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for more. To any other person, a Friday night down the pub was just that, but to Will it was the loss of his evening routine. 

In just a few short months his time between two workdays had shifted dramatically, and it now took place to accommodate Tom and his rambunctious lifestyle. One so different from Will’s own that they seemed to co-exist perfectly in the tiny space of their flat. 

That wasn’t to say Will hadn’t struggled with the change though, and now he was worried that their two entities wouldn’t work as well with other people around. It was possibly the most selfish thought Will had ever had, and it wasn’t like he could keep Tom to himself forever, but just the thought of losing him to this new group of people concerned him. 

He was attempting to brush this thought aside when the door to his office lurched open. Will looked up to see Tom standing in the doorway with his bag over his shoulder.

“Hey, I finished early and was gonna head down to grab us a table?” The unspoken invite hung in the air, and it took a ping from Will’s inbox to make him realise that he was yet to respond. 

“Oh,” He shot a glance at his laptop to see yet another email from Miller. “I uh-” Will looked back at Tom as he stood leaning against the door frame, his hair a mess and a small, knowing smile on his face. 

All of a sudden he was overcome with the urge to join Tom. To cross his office, away from the noise of his inbox and the pressure that just hearing Miller’s name set down on his shoulders, and to leave for the weekend and not look back until Monday.

“Actually,” Will started as he reached across his desk to shut his laptop with more force than he had intended. “That sounds good. Just give me two seconds?” 

He took the small hum from Tom as agreement and quickly began to gather his things together, sliding everything into his bag, including a few of the files that had been sat on his desk all week. Just in case. 

“I knew you’d come around,” Tom said as Will joined him at the door. His smile widened as he spoke, transforming into one of his signature grins and it melted any of the remaining fear that had settled in Will’s mind. 

Will just shrugged, elbowing Tom as he passed him on his way out the door. “I never said I wouldn’t come,” he said, raising an eyebrow at his best friend as he locked the door behind them.

“No, but you were close enough.”

Will just rolled his eyes and followed Tom towards the lift.

-

An hour later and the niggling fear had returned. Will was sat at the table himself and Tom had claimed for the group upon arrival with a pint of beer in front of him. He had been confident he’d enjoy tonight, away from the stress of work, but he now was starting to question if that were even possible. 

Pressing his palm against his glass, Will raised it to his lips and took such a miniscule sip he would be surprised if he’d actually consumed any of the alcohol. He forced himself to pay attention to the condensation that was beginning to seep in between his fingers, and how nothing had actually gone wrong so far, and how he had very little to worry about. 

“Will!”

Olivia’s squeal sounded from across the pub, shocking him away from his thoughts. Placing his glass down, he looked up to see his colleague rushing across the floor, a bright pink drink in hand. 

“Hey Liv,” He greeted, shuffling over so that she could slide into the seat beside him. 

“You came!” She grinned, taking a sip from her drink, and pulling out the small umbrella to twirl it between her fingers. 

Will just smiled amusedly, only Olivia would order from the cocktail menu in a pub that prided itself in playing every football game possible. “Of course I did, wasn’t going to let you guys have fun without me,” he took another sip of his drink, but only to hide the way his hands shook slightly.

Olivia shot him a strange look, her head tipping to one side in a way that reminded Will so much of a puppy. She moved on quickly though, clearly happy he had chosen to join them. “So! I was thinking we get some darts?” She asked, now addressing the rest of the table.

After a mutual agreement she rushed off again, leaving Will to watch the others as they chat amongst themselves. He watched as Leslie leaned over to look at the football score on one of the small TVs behind the bar, only to scoff and point it out to Cooke. 

Something stirred within Will as he watched the pair interact, something familiar. He sat back against the wall, his hand drifting back to his glass, but only to hold on it. He couldn’t place what he was seeing, but all of a sudden he felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as though he had seen this before, yet Will had never interacted with the two men outside of work before. 

Looking away from the pair, Will made eye contact with Tom, who had just looked away from the game himself. 

“You okay?” Tom mouthed, frowning when he saw Will still had most of his drink left. 

Will nodded, plastering a smile onto his face, and as if proving his point he took another sip of his drink, which he quickly followed by an even larger one. 

“Right! I want Will on my team!” Olivia exclaimed as she sat back down. Will felt her loop an arm through his and he barely had a chance to grab his beer before she was pulling him off towards the dartboard. 

Tom, Leslie, and Cooke quickly followed. “I’ll play on my own, Leslie announced as he leaned against one of the standing tables by the board, his second pint of beer in hand. 

By process of elimination that left Tom and Cooke to team up. 

They finished the first game with ease, Olivia and Will winning, with Leslie in second, and Tom and Cooke close behind. 

“You never told me you were good at darts!” Tom exclaimed from behind Will, making him jump slightly. He turned around to see Tom, grinning as wide as ever, with a pint in both hands. 

“I didn’t think I had to?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow as Tom pressed one of the glasses into his hand. He took it though, realising all of a sudden that he had somehow finished his original beer. 

Tom just giggled, his tongue poking out between his teeth. “Would have been nice to know, say we team up for the next game?” 

Will leaned back so that the edge of the table pressed into the bottom of his back, his hands moving to rest against it too. “Oh, so you want to use me?” He whined, a pout playing at his lips. 

“No!” Tom giggled again. It was clear the younger man had drunk more than Will. “I just think we’d be a good team… but if you don’t want I guess I’ll have to ask Olivia-”

“Fine!” Will answered, a little too quickly, his hand flying up to catch Tom’s arm before he could walk away. “I’ll team up with you!”

Of course Tom just laughed again, holding up his glass so that Will had no choice but to tap his own against it. 

As the night went on, they all got progressively worse at the game, and by the third game, Will had finished his second drink. 

He wandered off towards the bar to buy another round for the group, his cheeks hurting from all of their laughter. Maybe tonight had been a good idea after all, maybe Tom was right. 

Speaking of Tom, the man seemed to appear by his side as he waited for the barman’s attention. 

“Hey!” Tom hummed, leaning against the hard wood surface. His face was flushed and his hair was beginning to curl against his forehead, now free of the gel that usually tamed it. 

Will couldn’t help but smile. “Having fun?” He asked, moving to lean beside his friend. 

“Yep!” Tom beamed. “You’re proper good at darts, you know?” 

“So I’ve been told,” Will teased, chewing on his lip. “Not too bad yourself.”

Tom seemed to absolutely glow under the praise, blowing out a breath as his hair drooped into his eyes. “You really think so?” He grew shy all of a sudden, ducking his head bashfully. 

“Uhuh,” Will nodded. 

When Tom looked up again, the loose strand of hair fell back into his face and Will couldn’t help but reach out to tuck it behind his ear.

“Thanks,” Tom whispered. Will had stepped closer so that he could reach better and now he could feel Tom’s breath brushing against his cheek. 

Heat prickled at the back of his neck and he pulled back to look at Tom properly. He was still grinning, his tongue poking out between his teeth in a manner that Will could only describe as endearing. He smiled back, his face still as close to Tom’s as ever. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but it was quickly forgotten as he was cut off by their lips colliding.  
Will didn’t kiss back at first, instead he froze, his hand still reaching out towards Tom. Slowly, he let it fall onto Tom’s shoulder and just like that he relaxed into the kiss. 

It was messy and tasted of beer, and at some point Tom’s hand had drifted down to pull Will closer by his waist. Will could feel the metal of Tom’s belt through his shirt and the cold contact made him pull back.

“Tom,” he murmured against the other man’s lips, his fingers digging into the fabric of Tom’s shoulder.

“Hmmm?”

“I-” In that moment Will couldn’t remember what it was he wanted to say, he couldn’t remember why he was so scared. So rather than speaking, he simply leaned in to reconnect the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading it  
> If you could let me know what you think it would be greatly appreciated :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Find me on tumblr @datfilmnerd


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